Education, CBR17 Pie Chart Challenge
One Monday morning I get into work smidgen later than usual, so my whole system is just off. During a moment of situating myself, I see that there are some books on the cart for the children’s floor. On top of a pile was a book of a red colored fish. It said “Grandmother Fish” and I thought, “Well it could be a cute story.” However, I only saw the first part and not the whole title: Grandmother Fish: A Child’s First Book of Evolution by Jonathan Tweet and Karen Lewis as the illustrator.
What I thought would be a (probably overly) sweet and simple story was actually deeper. It was a poetic look at how things evolved. The start is fairly simple, and a good introduction to the subject. Yet, there are extras in the back for the adult reader and information that will grow with the child. So what starts out as a five to eight year old book turns into a book for most people. Granted, the picture book format might turn the older child off, but in the classroom it is perfect. It makes the theme more clear and understandable. The illustrations are also young, but just focus on the facts. I do enjoy the colors if not the minimalist details. 
Another book I enjoyed the colors, but the details were not as off putting was Don’t Eat the Cleaners!: Tiny Fish with a Big Job by Susan Stockdale. This is a clever introduction to the subject of ocean creatures’ health and the relationships certain creatures have with each other. After all, we think that if you are in the water, you probably won’t get dirty, right? But even in water there are things that need to be cleaned off the bodies and mouths of certain creatures. We follow the “cleaners” (fish, shrimp, etc.) that take care of all types of animals from sting rays, other fish and even sharks. The ins and outs (literally as some are dentists and swim in mouths to scrub the teeth) are introduced, but are also on a slightly higher level than Grandmother Fish. The more realistic, but still drawn illustrations are good in helping move things along. This is not a fiction story, but reads as one with being non-fiction. The overall images were more fun and detailed so I got the sense of being “there” without, of course, not actually being in the water. 
This day of nonfiction reading included also The Search for Carmella by Chloe Savage. Which is not nonfiction, but has an element that would work for the lover of the ocean creatures. If you were studying the deeper ocean animals this is a fun story about the magic and adventure of science as you explore the sea for a mythological creature, but see the real animals of the deep. As a fiction story, the fact that the images are both realistic and a bit fantastical allow the story to feel both real and totally a myth. I figured that the author wants to believe, they give themselves enough of a cushion in case the mythical beast is not really there.
With this third book, I like the romantic look and that, along with the more “true” story format, helped to cleanse my brain of the facts of the other two books, even if they were presented in a more cleverly fun manner. All three books are available, but the last two I read via online reader copies and the first in a finished copy..
