Ocean by Karen Romano Young, illustrated by Gail Armstrong

Ocean (Paper World) by Karen Romano Young, illustrated by Gail Armstrong. Templar Books, 2024. 9781536235036

Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 3.5

Format: Hardcover

What did you like about the book:   Different parts of the ocean are explored in this lift the flap informational text for young children. From polar waters to coral reefs to mangrove forests and kelp forests, ocean plants and animals are described. The illustrations are bright and colorful. The final section of the book explains human impact on the ocean: climate change, pollution, garbage, overfishing, and ships, and ways to improve and help, such as reducing emissions and encouraging ecotourism. 

Kids who are interested in learning about the ocean may enjoy this colorful book with over 40 flaps to lift. It is beautifully constructed and invites kids to explore the ocean. 

Anything you didn’t like about it? Lift the flap books are fragile and difficult to maintain in a school or public library. As the first reader of this copy, I also had trouble finding all the flaps. Some of the information is questionable, like the suggestion at the end that aquafarms are more sustainable than wild caught fish. The jury is still out on this question due to pollutants, disease, and waste products. I would prefer that the text be more nuanced on this question and acknowledge that fish farming may be more sustainable, but have other issues. Additionally, plastic is only mentioned once in the book and in an offhand way, but the impact of plastic on the oceans is huge. 

To whom would you recommend this book?  Kids who like lift the flap books or are interested in ocean biology should look at this book.

Who should buy this book?  Best for individual purchase.

Where would you shelve it ?  Nonfiction

Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No

Reviewer’s Name, Library (or school), City and State: Laura Gardner, Dartmouth Middle School, Dartmouth, MA

Date of review:  June 17, 2024