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Who Would Win? #23
Ultimate Ocean Rumble
What would happen if sixteen sea creatures met in a tournament? Who will be the ocean champion? Who do you think would win?
32 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2015
124 people are currently reading
201 people want to read
About the author
Jerry Pallotta
239 books111 followersMy full name is Gerard Larry Pallotta but my mom always called me "Jerry". I was born on March 26, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts. My mom's name is Mary, and she came from a family of ten children. My dad's name is Joe, and he came from a family of five children. My grandparents were immigrants of Italian descent. I have the nicest parents in the world. They have always been unselfish and ready to help me, even today. I have four brothers and two sisters: Joey, David, Andrew, Danny, Cindy and Mickey. I have seventy-two first cousins. When I was growing up, there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
My family moved to Medford, Massachusetts when I was young. I went to elementary school at Mt. Trinity Academy, not far from where my publisher is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. I never wrote a book in elementary school, and we never kept journals. In the neighborhood where I grew up, almost every family had seven to nine children. I guess that you could say that there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I went to high school at Boston College High School, a Jesuit all-boys school in downtown Boston. The priests and other teachers were really wonderful. I played football and ran track. I had a great high school experience and I think later it made my studies in college much easier. My sons Neil and Eric graduated from Boston College High School in 2001 and 2003. Neil was named after a teacher I had, Fr. Neil Callahan, S.J. I never wrote a book in high school, and I never wrote for the school newspaper. I was too shy and was afraid of what other kids would think.
After high school I went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I majored in business, a subject that would help me later in life when I decided to publish my first book. At Georgetown, I met my wife, Linda. In college I was an average student and was captain of the Georgetown University Rugby Team. I never wrote for the college newspaper, and I never imaged writing books. A couple of years later, Linda and I got married and I started to work at an insurance company in Boston. During the first six years of being married, we had four kids. It seemed like there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
Today, we spend a lot of time with my 31 nieces and nephews...again...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I learned valuable skills while talking to people, selling insurance and collecting money. When I came home from work, Linda would ask me to "read to the kids!" I loved reading to my kids and I learned to appreciate children's books. The first few books that we bought were alphabet books and counting books. "A" was always for Apple and "Z" was always for Zebra. One day I decided, "Hey, I can do this!" I had an idea. I would write an alphabet book about the Atlantic Ocean. I spent every summer at Peggotty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts. I have great memories of lobstering, fishing, mossing, clamming and rowing in my dory.
My first book was written in 1985 when I was 32 years old. I came up with the idea, wrote it, designed it, researched it, edited it and my cousin, Frank Mazzola, Jr. illustrated it. I published it myself under the name of Peggotty Beach Books. What fun! It was first printed on July 7, 1986. I'll never forget that day. The book eventually became the #1 best selling book at the New England Aquarium. I was afraid that only my mother would like it. Teachers and kids told me they really liked my book.
While speaking in schools, teachers also told me they were looking for simple non-fiction nature books. It gave me the confidence to write more. My next book, "The Icky Bug Alphabet Book", has sold more than 1 million copies. My third book, "The Bird Alphabet Book" was voted one of the best books of the year by Birders World Magazine. I now have over twenty alphabet books. My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books. Thank you to all my illustrators: Ralph Masiello, Frank Mazzola, Jr., Rob Bolster, Edgar Stewart, Leslie
My family moved to Medford, Massachusetts when I was young. I went to elementary school at Mt. Trinity Academy, not far from where my publisher is located in Watertown, Massachusetts. I never wrote a book in elementary school, and we never kept journals. In the neighborhood where I grew up, almost every family had seven to nine children. I guess that you could say that there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I went to high school at Boston College High School, a Jesuit all-boys school in downtown Boston. The priests and other teachers were really wonderful. I played football and ran track. I had a great high school experience and I think later it made my studies in college much easier. My sons Neil and Eric graduated from Boston College High School in 2001 and 2003. Neil was named after a teacher I had, Fr. Neil Callahan, S.J. I never wrote a book in high school, and I never wrote for the school newspaper. I was too shy and was afraid of what other kids would think.
After high school I went to Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. I majored in business, a subject that would help me later in life when I decided to publish my first book. At Georgetown, I met my wife, Linda. In college I was an average student and was captain of the Georgetown University Rugby Team. I never wrote for the college newspaper, and I never imaged writing books. A couple of years later, Linda and I got married and I started to work at an insurance company in Boston. During the first six years of being married, we had four kids. It seemed like there were...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
Today, we spend a lot of time with my 31 nieces and nephews...again...KIDS EVERYWHERE!
I learned valuable skills while talking to people, selling insurance and collecting money. When I came home from work, Linda would ask me to "read to the kids!" I loved reading to my kids and I learned to appreciate children's books. The first few books that we bought were alphabet books and counting books. "A" was always for Apple and "Z" was always for Zebra. One day I decided, "Hey, I can do this!" I had an idea. I would write an alphabet book about the Atlantic Ocean. I spent every summer at Peggotty Beach in Scituate, Massachusetts. I have great memories of lobstering, fishing, mossing, clamming and rowing in my dory.
My first book was written in 1985 when I was 32 years old. I came up with the idea, wrote it, designed it, researched it, edited it and my cousin, Frank Mazzola, Jr. illustrated it. I published it myself under the name of Peggotty Beach Books. What fun! It was first printed on July 7, 1986. I'll never forget that day. The book eventually became the #1 best selling book at the New England Aquarium. I was afraid that only my mother would like it. Teachers and kids told me they really liked my book.
While speaking in schools, teachers also told me they were looking for simple non-fiction nature books. It gave me the confidence to write more. My next book, "The Icky Bug Alphabet Book", has sold more than 1 million copies. My third book, "The Bird Alphabet Book" was voted one of the best books of the year by Birders World Magazine. I now have over twenty alphabet books. My goal has always been to write interesting, fact-filled, fun to read, beautifully illustrated color children's books. Thank you to all my illustrators: Ralph Masiello, Frank Mazzola, Jr., Rob Bolster, Edgar Stewart, Leslie
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
July 25, 2025
Styles make fights. 🦑This had tons of upsets, some of which I’d say are outrageous! But, it’s an ocean rumble. Anything can happen! 🤷♂️
July 2, 2023
Even for a kids book this is a steaming pile of shit. One of the match ups features a Portuguese man o war going up against a sea turtle and winning with its venom (which it inaccurately calls poison) despite the fact that sea turtles are immune to venom from Cnidarids due to being their primary predator. The size is also off in this fight as while man o wars have tentacles that reach hundreds of feet their bell is only a foot across while a leather back sea turtle is the largest turtle on Earth at just under a ton. This is far from the only inaccuracy in this book.
April 1, 2016
Amazing -- as epic as the title suggests! PLUS, after revealing the winner, the book encourages readers to think about how they might rewrite the matches & alter the competition. So cool!
September 29, 2021
I like that there were a bunch of rounds and matches.
December 5, 2023
The animals fight to the death to see who the best ocean animal is😃😃😊😊
My review was it was really good I really liked the fun facts although I wanted tho little octopus to win😔😓😓😹😹😿😿😿
My review was it was really good I really liked the fun facts although I wanted tho little octopus to win😔😓😓😹😹😿😿😿
June 5, 2016
You can learn about sea animals you have never seen before and see who would win.
January 27, 2022
Saltie is ULTRA BEEFY. By far my favorite ultimate rumble book.
November 18, 2020
Who Would Win- Ultimate Ocean Rumble is an informational text that teaches students about different animals in the ocean. This particular text discusses several ocean animals and talking about if they were to meet in the ocean, who would win in a battle. The text shares facts about the different animals in the ocean such as size, food they eat, and strengths and weaknesses.
This text is good for any grade level. These books are full of colorful pictures and charts for any age student to enjoy and want to read. I have several of these in my classroom and let students read them in their free time. They really enjoy getting to read them and love to have each other guess who would win in the end.
I think this is a WOW book because I have seen how my students in the class love these books and cannot put them down. My students stay engaged and want to read these books all of the time. Any book that can keep students attention for this long, is a WOW book to me! :)
This text is good for any grade level. These books are full of colorful pictures and charts for any age student to enjoy and want to read. I have several of these in my classroom and let students read them in their free time. They really enjoy getting to read them and love to have each other guess who would win in the end.
I think this is a WOW book because I have seen how my students in the class love these books and cannot put them down. My students stay engaged and want to read these books all of the time. Any book that can keep students attention for this long, is a WOW book to me! :)
January 25, 2024
This book was about different sea mammals and who would win during a fight. It was set up in a bracket and the winner was a saltwater crocodile but the author leaves the ending up for discussion. It gives interesting facts about several different animals, some that many might not have known existed.
While reading this book, I was shocked to find out that the salt water crocodile would win. I did not know that some of the animals listed in this book even existed much less would beat the well known animals. There were several animals that were poisonous that I did not know had that characteristic.
I could use this book to open a lesson about ocean animals in science. The students could make their own guesses about who would win which would allow them to use their creative thinking skills. Many students would enjoy this because it involves group discussion about a particular topic.
While reading this book, I was shocked to find out that the salt water crocodile would win. I did not know that some of the animals listed in this book even existed much less would beat the well known animals. There were several animals that were poisonous that I did not know had that characteristic.
I could use this book to open a lesson about ocean animals in science. The students could make their own guesses about who would win which would allow them to use their creative thinking skills. Many students would enjoy this because it involves group discussion about a particular topic.
April 16, 2019
This book is about different animals in the ocean in who would win in a fight but also talks about that animal in things they have that makes them predators in the ocean. The book then goes into the next round having the winners fight until they have one champion. This book is a little bit of a harder read for students because it uses more scientific words. This could be a fun book to do with the class as everyone can vote each round for who will win which will teach science to kids and ocean predators. This would be a good book for 1-3rd graders.
November 26, 2022
Informational Nonfiction
Primary (2-3)
I really really love this series. Informational nonfiction doesn't always have to be straight information. This series bends the rules and allows students to ask the questions, "What if?". Students can look at the world around them in a whole new way, and start to better understand the creatures around them while also making that learning fun and interesting! These types of books get students interested in nonfiction and I think they are a great gateway into reading this genre.
Primary (2-3)
I really really love this series. Informational nonfiction doesn't always have to be straight information. This series bends the rules and allows students to ask the questions, "What if?". Students can look at the world around them in a whole new way, and start to better understand the creatures around them while also making that learning fun and interesting! These types of books get students interested in nonfiction and I think they are a great gateway into reading this genre.
January 18, 2023
Out of sixteen animals of the ocean only one wins. The bracket breaks it down from sixteen, eight, four, two, and winner. It was fun to choose which ones would win against my son and husband. My son won most of them.
Who would win?
Walrus vs Sand Tiger Shark
Narwhal vs Torpedo Fish
Killer Whale vs Sea Snake
Man o' War vs Leatherback Turtle
Polar Bear vs Stonefish
Saltwater Crocodile vs Giant Squid
Great White Shark vs Giant Manta Ray
Sailfish vs Blue-Ringed Octopus
Who would win?
Walrus vs Sand Tiger Shark
Narwhal vs Torpedo Fish
Killer Whale vs Sea Snake
Man o' War vs Leatherback Turtle
Polar Bear vs Stonefish
Saltwater Crocodile vs Giant Squid
Great White Shark vs Giant Manta Ray
Sailfish vs Blue-Ringed Octopus
December 2, 2024
Entertaining and educational. Recommend for kids eight and up. Know your kids maturity and love all the animals fight to the death. Not graphic just nature. Entertaining enough keep you engaged and encourage children to love reading.
Based on this I'm going to assume the whole, "Who would win", series is equally as good.
Based on this I'm going to assume the whole, "Who would win", series is equally as good.
October 24, 2025
This matchup book has a walrus, a sand tiger shark, a narwhal, a torpedo fish, a killer whale, sea snake, man o war, leatherback turtle, polar bear, stonefish, saltwater crocodile, giant squid, great white shark, giant manta ray, sailfish, blue-ringed octopus. I was surprised by some of the matchups. There are definitely some sea creatures that I would like to avoid.
November 12, 2018
S has three books from this series and loves all of them. This one is my favorite of the Ultimate Rumble books just because I like ocean animals. S makes everybody in his life read these books with him. They're not the most brilliantly written things, but they are definitely fun.
April 20, 2023
Who Would Win: Ultimate Ocean Rumble will hook readers immediately. Children will be so immersed in the competition that they won’t even realize they are learning so many new and interesting facts about these ocean creatures!!
June 24, 2018
All the book has good fights and words.
September 16, 2020
Informative book on ocean creatures in a “who would win” format.
January 1, 2021
My 7&8 year old boys love this book and the others in the series. I learned a lot while reading it as well.
January 5, 2021
This book is in a fun, fast-reading style.
January 12, 2021
its really good
June 8, 2021
I really enjoyed this one!
August 24, 2021
This had a good collection of animals and some weird match ups that were entertaining to read. These books always deliver with the kids.
December 15, 2021
I want to read Who Would Win. Ultimate Ocean Rumble.
February 9, 2022
Rating is by my 6 year old. He loves these books and learning new facts about animals.
May 23, 2022
Great fact book. I'm not sure I agree with the results though. Felt more like someone's ideas of who would win. Would have preferred to see more realistic knowledge added.
September 17, 2022
3.5 stars. I would have offered four, but I think a couple of the matches were fixed.
December 8, 2022
Interesting read about who would win in a fight
June 9, 2023
Love love love. But it needs a better binding. These suckers get loved to death at the library and easily fall apart.
September 26, 2023
Full of misinformation!! There are lots of accurate books out there that will get kids interested in science, stay away from this steaming garbage.
https://youtu.be/d7huWQFC0dI?si=KCTxt...
https://youtu.be/d7huWQFC0dI?si=KCTxt...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews