What Can Live in the Ocean?

By: Sheila Anderson
Publisher: Lerner Classroom
Publication Date: August 2010
ISBN: 978-0761356738
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: September 16, 2010

When we look out at the waves as they come onto the sandy beaches, we cannot easily see that it is a habitat “where plants and animals live.” Beneath the waves we can see many different kinds of fish, coral, and other plant life. Many of these creatures have “special adaptations” so they can live in the ocean. For example, fish have fins that help them swim and they have gills so they can “breathe underwater.” As we watch a lobster, we can easily see that his claws help him to “grab fish.”

Octopuses are able to change color and that helps them to hide from their enemies. They can blend right in with the ocean floor and can’t be seen. The giant whales have “blowholes on top of their heads” so they can breathe. Other creatures, such as certain kinds of sea horses “look like seaweed” so they can also hide from their enemies. If you take a look at the picture of the shark in this book, you can easily see that he has “lots of sharp teeth for eating fish.”

This is an excellent overview of how marine animals make adaptations in order to live in the ocean. This book is an easy way to introduce the emergent reader to nonfiction. On each page there is photograph accompanied by a simple sentence. There is an occasional word, highlighted in bold dark print, that is more difficult. For example, the word “blowholes,” is highlighted and explained in the glossary. I liked the bold, bright, and exciting photographs that young children will enjoy. In the back of the book is a diagram of a penguin and its adaptations, a paragraph discussing them, a section of “Fun Facts,” an index, and a glossary.

Quill says: This is one in a series of Animal Adaptations, a series you may wish to consider for your natural science unit in a homeschool or classroom setting.