To celebrate Picture Book Month I am continuing to share conversations I have about particular picture books. This isn’t so much a conversation as an ooh and ahh fest I had with my own two children while exploring this nonfiction title.
The Open Ocean by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais is an oversized title that invites the reader to guess, read more, lift flaps and absorb amazing information. This title kept my two 12 year olds completely interested and engaged as we interacted with this gorgeous book. Our favourite 2 page spread was the section that showed closeups of shells, scales and other textures on various sealife. We didn’t guess any correctly! So much to interact with in this title.
Our favourite facts?
- The compass jellyfish changes gender over its lifetime (“That’s just too strange,” remarked my son.)
- The blue whale is one of longest living creatures.
- The sea urchin is named after a hedgehog.
- An octopus is super smart! It can open jars.(“But what are those scientists doing having it be in a lab to do experiments on? Terrible! Unless it is just tests? Do they release them after?” – this from my daughter.)
- A sunfish can weigh over 500 pounds!
- The swordfish is one of the fastest fish.
- No one really knows how long lobsters live. They can live to be over 100 and they always seem to die for other reasons before perishing from old age.
Thanks to Alyson from Kid Lit Frenzy for the inspiration to read and share more nonfiction picture books in 2014. Follow the link to Alyson’s blog to read about more nonfiction books you need to read!
My goal is to read 65 nonfiction picture books for 2014. Progress: 120/65 complete!
There's a Book for That 
It sounds like a book to “Ooh and Aaah” over. Thanks for telling us about it
Lots of “Ooh” appeal!
What a great cover!! Love the amazing facts. 🙂
A visual treat through and through
This book looks great, and any book about the ocean is good for me!
A perfect title for an ocean theme.
Oooooo – this looks like an amazing information book! Who knew a sunfish was such a hefty fellow? Thank you!
I know! This fact really shocked us too!
I did not know this team had another book, Carrie. I am completely fascinated by their book, Birds of a Feather. I’ll have to add this to my next order.
I have Birds of a Feather too! These books are really incredible.
I have a student who will love this Carrie. I’m late seeing what everyone shared yesterday, but am so glad I found this book. Thanks!
I loved this! A really great title. Enjoy.
Cool facts! Thanks for sharing some of those little nuggets.
Pleasure!
I would love to meet a 100 year old lobster. 🙂 Thanks for sharing all these wondrous facts, dear Carrie! 🙂
A fun book, indeed!