Wild Ocean: Sharks, Whales, Rays, and Other Endangered Sea Creatures

by Matt Dembicki (Editor)

The world’s oceans represent the last wild frontier on Earth. In this graphic novel collection, Matt Dembicki, editor and artist of the award-winning Trickster , pulls together stories of twelve iconic endangered sea animals. Produced in cooperation with the non-profit PangeaSeed, these compelling scientific vignettes also educate and foster a passion to conserve the oceans' resources.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Animals, Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Graphic Novels Comics, Conservation

156 pages, Paperback

First published March 18, 2014

Reviews

[Ale - viajentreletras · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve learned a lot about ocean and its life in just a few pages.
People is killing everything in water, animals are suffering and we have to do something ASAP. This book contains 12 stories about marine life with such beautiful illustrations. My favorites (because of the cuteness of everything) were “Tortuga, the Island That Swims” and “Hawaiian Blues”.
I recommend you to read this comic, even if you are younger or older.

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and educational. Would've rated it three stars, but bumped up to four just for the hilarious manatee story!

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Wild, indeed! I just love it when learning is FUN. The stories of these endangered animals are expertly told and illustrated. For those who still want more, there are references for further reading material. I have a classroom full of children that will be in line to read this book, and I expect they will go home and beg for their parents to buy them a copy.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://www.pussreboots.pair.com/blog/...

[Shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads Giveaways for sending me this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a graphic novel told in several parts about several different animals in the ocean, and where they can be found. I really enjoyed it and know several people who would enjoy it.

Thank you again!

[Briana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of really cute illustrated short stories revolving around our sea's and endangered marine life.

It's super educational and really very charming for any age!

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Mickey Bits · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun collection of informational stories about various creatures.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. When I saw Matt Dembicki had a new anthology out I just had to read it. "Trickster" is one of the best graphic anthologies out there! Then seeing this was about a topic that I absolutely love, marine animals, I was in. This is not another "Trickster". It's not as large and it's an educational/non-fiction book opposed to folklore so it's not really fair to compare them and I'll stop with that. "Wild Ocean" is a collection of shorts by different graphic writers and artists each featuring an endangered sea creature or environment (coral reef). Some are presented as fictional stories from the animals point of view, some as folklore, others simply as straightforward factual non-fiction. The different artists bring a varied style so each short is unique in written and artistic style. Yet the colours maintain a marine theme focusing on greens, blues and turquoise. Personally I would have preferred a more fictional collection of stories but I enjoyed these collected here and learned some interesting information. What I especially liked from this type of book is that "Wild Ocean" does not play to any current political trends. Climate change is hardly mentioned in the front matter and not in the stories at all. Incontrovertible facts are purely used as reasons for endangerment such as over-fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, non-Western medicines among others. A very pretty presentation for those interested in the topic. Would make for good use in the classroom.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this anthology was a bit hit and miss. While I thought the topics covered are important, I didn't feel drawn in by many of the stories. Some of them are far too short to really book a reader (no pun intended) to further research the subject. Others read more like a textbook - The Legend of T. Gigas, Atolls of the Maldives, and Poseidon's Steed, for example. I enjoyed stories that showed more personality and took a different tack beyond illustrating facts. Tortuga, the Island that Swims is a great example of being both informative, telling a complete story, and even portraying some humor. I loved the way the barnacles, shrimp, and other residents on the turtle chimed in throughout. The Rime of the Modern Mariner stood out as being both a personal story, informative about the albatross (without sounding stuffy and dry), and having unique artwork - great colors and use of shadow. My favorite story was Butanding, which incorporated folk tale with fact. The art was so lush and conveyed the beauty and mystery of the whale shark. I had a hard time getting through this book - it wasn't one that called out to be read. It was easy enough to pick up and put down, and if I found a story boring, it took me awhile to want to pick it up again. I think that this book has a lot of value and is very informative, but I don't know that it has a lot of appeal to those who don't already have an interest in environmental issues.

[Centauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

though educational and actually a bit depressing, it is a good read. to learn the level of human-viral impact on the oceans was a tad enraging but the imagery is beautiful and the concept is endearing. more sympathy and action are needed to save the world mankind is slaughtering...or, we will have nothing but a wasteland

[Amy! · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories, written for people much younger than myself, come off a little preachy to adult eyes, but would probably introduce kids to ideas of conservation and endangered sea creatures. It was interesting, and some of the stories were really fun and cute. I think this could be a great one to use in a classroom oceans unit for 3rd grade and up.

[Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really beautiful book that portrays marine conseravation. The artists in the book have a frim grasp of their subject matters. Beautifully drawn. Would recommend the book to anyone with an interest in the oceans and its creatures.

[Marge Shaffer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uneven

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really cool fiction/non-fiction graphic shorts.

[Michael Rhode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edited by a friend and with friends artwork, my rating should be considered with that in mind.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A graphic anthology of stories featuring twelve endangered sea creatures.