Pages

Monday, December 12, 2011

Star of the Sea: A Day in the Life of a Starfish, by Janet Halfmann

When Halfmann asked if I'd like to take a peek at her new book, Star of the Sea I didn't have to think twice. ("Does switching to Geico save you money!?" Sorry. I couldn't resist...)



We've read and loved every book that we've read by Janet Halfmann and Star of the Sea is no exception. Regulars around here know that Bookworm1 loves is obsessed with sea creatures so I knew he'd love this book. Naturally, I was right! (I like to be right. Halfmann makes it so easy for me to be right with my son sometimes.)

"Stars blink in the night sky above the rocky coast." And below? An ochre sea star - "the common starfish of the Pacific Coast" - is resting on the rocks. Starfish are so beautiful to look at (even in my humble opinion) and in this book we discover how it is that they move, hunt for food, eat and escape from predators. This book reads as a story. We spend our time getting to know this one particular star fish and how she functions in the ocean. The last page spread includes a list of facts about starfish so that you can learn more detailed information about them should you wish. Illustrated by Joan Paley, this book is a delight to look at and learn from! (This is definitely a winning title to have on hand to read before going off to explore tide pools along the Oregon coast!)

Simply put: we loved it. Which should come as no great surprise.

As you know, we went to Texas for Christmas and while we were there we went to Sea World! Imagine Bookworm1's delight when he FINALLY got to see a killer whale! And a beluga! Oh my sea stars! (Heh.) It was such a fun trip. Here is one of our pictures from the Shamu Christmas show (which was truly incredible):



Yes, we continue to revel in sea life around these parts. Thank you, Janet Halfmann, for writing about our favorite topic and for allowing us the opportunity to browse your new book. It is well-loved!

* I've finally decided to create a new label for books on Ocean Life, seeing that we have read and talked about so many around these parts. So if you are ever looking for books on the topic, I'll make it a bit easier for you to find them!

6 comments:

Amy @ Hope Is the Word said...

Ah, I'm skipping this review because I hope to review it next week. We really liked it!

Annette W. said...

We love this too!! (A review is sometime in the future.)

Janet Halfmann: http://www.janethalfmannauthor.com said...

Thanks so much for the wonderful review of my book. I'm so happy that your sea-creature-loving family enjoyed it so much. Amy and Annette, I look forward to your reviews. And I'm honored to share that Star of the Sea was just named a 2012 Outstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 by the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children's Book Council (CBC). Happy Reading!

BerlinerinPoet said...

"Bookworm 1" LOVE it!!

Diary of an Autodidact said...

You may have a future scuba diver on your hands...

Stephanie Kay said...

What a fun book! We've never seen a starfish at a tidepool in RI but we've held them at Mystic Aquarium. As for SeaWorld, I see you were NOT seated in the splash zone. :) We were about in the same area on Saturday. Just a little further to the left and we WERE in the splash zone. My kids LOVED the show!! I will be sharing more about our trip in a few weeks. :)

Top  blogs