Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Eyewitness: Seashore
Nonfiction Series
For ages 10 and up
DK, 2004 ISBN: 978-0756607203
The seashore is a place which is constantly changing. Waves and weather are forever shaping the landscape, molding features and impacting the fortunes of the creatures and plants that live there. Because of this no two shorelines are the same though there are similarities between those that have comparable conditions.
In this splendid book readers get the opportunity to look at some of the fascinating habitats that can be found around the word along the margins where the land meets the sea. We begin by looking at the plants which grow on the land and in the water. These species have had to adapt to the harsh environment in which they live. On land the plants have to deal with winds and salt water, and in the water they have to be able to cope with the tugging of waves, storms, and the need for sunlight.
Next we look at the creatures which inhabit these habitats. There are of course the animals which live in shells, some of which browse on algae and others which are surprisingly voracious predators. Then there are starfish, anemones, and sea urchins and their relatives. These are followed by the hard shelled crabs, lobsters, and prawns. Naturally the author also fully explores the wonders of tide pools, those fascinating marine worlds in miniature.
These are just a few of the topics covered in this well written and beautifully presented Eyewitness title. With superb and carefully annotated photographs, diagrams, and illustrations to compliment the text, this is a title which readers can dip into at will and which is packed with information which will appeal to readers of all kinds.
