This is a Seahorse – Cassandra Federman

 This is a Seahorse – Cassandra Federman, Albert Whitman & Co., 9780807578605, 2020 

Format: PDF Review Copy (Hardcover available September, 2020)

Rating:  1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 5

Genre: Picture Book

 What did you like about the book? What a great concept for a book–take a class project and turn it into a super cute story about the seahorse. This story begins with a class assignment to write about a creature that was seen on a recent field trip to the aquarium. However, as this class project progresses, we see early on that this one will be very different–the seahorse is actually commenting about the report as it is being written (which is a very cute way to set the record straight on seahorse facts). The author, Cassandra Federman, is the child in the story and she begins by stating some misconceptions she had about seahorses. First, she says that she thought a seahorse was like a land horse in that you could ride on them. This is when the seahorse chimes in and says “Ride a seahorse? Preposterous idea.” The report continues with other descriptions and features of the seahorse, comparing these to other animals and having the seahorse insert his feelings and the report progresses. This includes gripping objects like an opossum (“Those nasty creatures”), having a large snout like an anteater (“lumbering noses with legs”), camouflage like an octopus (“hideous eight-armed sea monsters”) and so on. As you can see, the seahorse has a lot to comment on as the report is being written. But in the end, he is very pleased that the author finds him to be a very weird and cool creature. The last pages do provide even more interesting facts about seahorses.

This book is written as if a young child wrote the story complete with childlike handwriting and illustrations and little notes in the margins of the pages. The illustrations in this story look like the desktop of a child doing the report–scattered with books, paper, snacks, colored pencils, etc. It is a fun concept and I think children will enjoy a book written in this format, especially if they have done some type of report themselves. The seahorse in this story is very expressive, showing anger when compared to a growling dog, happiness when explaining how it dances with a mate, and pleasure when he realizes the author admires seahorses.

Anything you did not like about the book. Nothing

To whom would you recommend this book? This book would be perfect for children ages three and older, especially if they are interested in sea creatures. It would be a great companion with Eric Carle’s book Mister Seahorse.

Who should buy this book? Public and elementary school libraries, anyone who works with children over the age of three.

Where would you shelve it? Nonfiction picture books or picture books. It does have a lot of information about seahorses, but I would not shelve it in a nonfiction section.

 Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Yes, provides facts about seahorses in an entertaining and user-friendly manner for younger children.

Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City: Kristin Guay, former youth services librarian.

Date of review: May 6, 2020