The Deep Blue Sea

Tom gives his little red and yellow boat a push and it sails all the way from California to Britain. During its journey (which can be followed on a big map on the endpapers) the boat is jostled by killer whales, splashed by flying fish, given a ride by a friendly turtle and nearly stolen by some playful dolphins. The book uses story form to introduce children to ocean creatures, naming them and showing what they look like and how they move through the water. Six-year-old Jay remarked: ‘I don’t need labels to tell me what limpets and starfish are.’ But the other children in the group found it helpful to have lesser known creatures and sea plants named – manta ray, trunkfish, sargassum weed and gulper eel. Lively and colourful illustrations and an energetic account of the journey make this reissue of the book in paperback format good value as a resource for science and geography lessons. MM