Do you love oceans? by Matt Robertson

Author and illustrator Matt Robinson has written another fun filled fact book to complement his first three Do you LOVE books about bugs, dinosaurs and exploring. This latest release is all about oceans and begins with a vibrant double page showcasing many ocean creatures. The book does not have a contents or index page but is set out clearly with a labelled double page spread covering the following topics: Coral reefs, Sharks, Ocean giants, Shipwrecks, Mangrove & Kelp forests, The Deep, Frozen oceans, Seashore, Weird fish, Oceans and finally Protect Our Oceans!

Each page has facts galore with changes in text and spacing, as well as brightly coloured, labelled images. Two of the double pages are cleverly presented in a vertical format: the first one being the Ocean giants page, which looks at ten top oceans giants beginning with the Giant Oceanic Manta Ray measuring 7 metres and ending with the Blue Whale measuring 33 metres and the second is The Deep, highlighting depths measuring from 200 metres to 11,000 metres and the creatures that inhabit those depths. One interesting creature that lives at about 4439m is Siphonophore which is extremely long but is made up of many creatures forming a straight line. The final double page shares hopeful stories about how people are trying to protect our oceans.

Throughout the book are simple questions to engage the young reader in deeper thinking as well as speech bubbles with comments, facts and humourous conversations. This will be a popular read for primary school aged children as well as a shared read at home or school for younger children with an adult to guide them.

Themes: Oceans, Information, Humour.

Kathryn Beilby