Commotion in the Ocean product reviews

This book has to be one of my favourites that I've come across through my early childhood career. I am easily taken by books with bright colourful pictures and that's just what this one has! Just looking at the cover you can see the type of illustrations - fun cartoon like pictures that still resemble the actual sea animals. The children are completely captured by these illustrations too.

Another aspect of this book I enjoy is the use of rhyme when talking about each of the animals. Rhyming is one of the early language and reading skills taught to young children at childcare centres and schools and having fun books can certainly help with teaching it! The children are able to listen along to the story and pick out for themselves what words are the rhyming words. I do like too that the verses alter in the construction so they aren't all a standard 4 line poem with the 2nd and 4th lines rhyming. It's nice to mix these things up a bit!

The information about each of the sea creatures in this book has been completely aimed at children. Sometimes when wanting to study a subject like animals it is hard to find books that has information simple enough that a child under 5 can understand it. All too often you end up looking through reference books that have far too much information! I like that each animal has a small description and within it it points out the main features of that creature. This way the children are far more likely to remember some of the information shared about each type of sea creature.

This is my daughters favourite book. Since owning it we have easily read it over a million times. Throughout the pages you have to find three hiding star fish and you also get to read in a lovely way about all of the sea creatures above and below the water. It is told in a rhyming way and covers a wide variety of different marine animals. My daughter received this when she two and she was the one to figure out there were star fish on every page, I would never of worked it out.

The pictures are great and I love the way that every 'animal' is always smiling. It makes the ocean look like such a friendly place. The shark has the biggest smile and of course invites you to take a closer look at his teeth. It tells you in a couple of sentences what the animal looks like and does in the water like the Octopus has eight legs because it helps her hold all of her children and tickle them all on there tummy.

It even ventures into the Deep Sea and talks about all the strange amazing creatures that you could ever meet living down there. I love this book and I don't think I will ever tire of it. Its so educational and brilliantly written. We own a couple of these books written by the same author Giles Andreae and highly recommend them. Extremely talented author.