Zoom ocean adventure by Susan Hayes. Illus. by Sam Rennocks

Like Zoom Space adventure, the reader is taken off into an exciting world, this time the ocean, where brightly coloured marine life will be enthralling for a young reader. Noah is a young boy who dons his wetsuit, fins and snorkel and dives down deep to see some amazing creatures, like an octopus, butterfly fish and of course a Great White shark. Each page has a myriad of sea creatures to look at and some are labelled which will be a boon for beginning readers as well as an adult who may be reading this aloud. The cut-out on the page will give a glimpse of what will be on the next double page spread and children will enjoy guessing what it might be.

The illustrations are very cute and there will be 'oohs' and 'ahhs' as a page is turned and the razor sharp teeth of the hungry shark emerges. Noah escapes to his submarine and the reader is taken down into the dark water to find out what lives down there.  Lots of creatures like the vampire squid and comb jelly are highlighted against a black background and then the reader spots a pirate ship and finally is taken into Antarctic waters. A pop -up of a humpback whale’s water spout shows Noah getting a ride home.

Readers will learn lots about the ocean while having fun with the idea of using your imagination to go on adventures. The strength of the board book ensures that it will last the use of little fingers and is likely to become favourite.

Themes: Oceans, Sea Creatures, Sea Life, Imagination.

Pat Pledger