Ocean: A Visual Miscellany

by Ricardo Henriques, André Letria (Illustrator)

Which ocean is the largest? Who was the first explorer to sail around the world? Is the ocean truly blue?

Rich with information and beautifully designed, this miscellany offers readers a tsunami of aquatic facts big and small. Ocean is a reminder that while much is known about this vast environment, much, much more remains a mystery. This book will satisfy young readers who enjoy taking a deep dive into the subject as well as ocean enthusiasts everywhere.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Animals, Childrens, Science, History, Picture Books

56 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Lisboeta desde que nasceu, herdou o gosto pelo desenho por via paterna e pela escrita por via materna. É editor de uma revista trimestral para crianças e autor dos livros Mar e Teatro da coleção Atividários, ilustrados por André Letria e publicados pelo Pato Lógico. Intervala o trabalho nos livros com a criação de diários gráficos, a redação publicitária e a escrita para a imprensa. Depois de Cara ou Coroa? Pequena História da Moeda (INCM), 1.º Direito é a sua segunda obra com Nicolau.

Reviews

[Alex Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whether you are taking kids to the beach or remaining landlocked, this is the ocean book that perfect for summer reading. This slightly over-sized book is big on facts and even some fictions about the world's oceans. Readers will discover what the major oceans are, which is the largest, find out why all boats are watercraft, but not all watercraft are boats. They can learn the parts of a ship, how sailors navigate by the stars, how life on a ship is ordered, some of the known schools of fish among the estimated 22,000 species in the ocean. There is a nice section all about waves which should appeal to kids who like to ride them on a boogie board at the beach a section on explorers, and even icebergs. My kids loved this book and the simple activities and experiments that are included, some of which we have already done like how to make a iceberg in the kitchen, tying nautical knots, and finding out how ships sail on the ocean's surface and why submarines can dive dive and run under water. This book was translated from the Portuguese and adult readers might want to try the Caldeirada (Portuguese Fish Stew) recipe and if you haven't had this kind of fish stew yet, you are in for a real treat. There are lots of illustrations done in white, blues and blacks that give the reader the feeling of being at the ocean. This book is coming with us next trip to the shore this summer.

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE the blue, black, and white illustrations in this book. It it gave the book a feel of the ocean – vast, sometimes scary, powerful, and beautiful. The binding is wonderful on this over-sized book. The text is snippets and fact boxes of everything nautical. The Earth’s oceans and major bodies of water are described and geographically identified. Ships, sailing, navigation, and exploration are all covered. Kids will also like the sea creatures (mythical and real) identified and talked about as well as icebergs and ship wrecks. My sister is doing a science fair project on fish and actually borrowed this book as a reference for the identification of fin types on fish. It would have been nice to have sources at the back of the book because it is so jammed packed with information, but overall, I really liked this one! *Please note I received a free review copy of this book

[Megan B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ocean: A Visual Miscellany was SUCH an interesting and engaging book to read. When I was searching some new nonfiction books to read, this one was recommended in many places, including "The Children's Book Review". This story takes you through the history, biology, and geology of the ocean. This book takes you through the journey of an introduce to the many secrets hidden beneath the ocean surface. You get to dive down into the watery worlds. The extreme details and beautiful images make this so engaging for students. You get to see the images of how the moon reflects the water, the creatures that live in the ocean, and the many details throughout. I love how the pages are soaked in deep blue with black accents. You can see the illustrations are a combination of pencil and analogue printing. The fonts are carefully selecting and the paper is heavy and depicts the ocean so well. This book dives into the overwhelming amount of facts that the ocean has. One thing that this book highlights is the impact that we as humans have on the ocean and how the ocean impacts our everyday lives. This book would be great for 2nd - 6th grade. One way I see using this book in my classroom is in our research unit. In one of our writing units, each student has to research an animal and then they make a digital book on Book Creator with a book. This book can help any of my students who are researching an ocean animal. This book has so many interactive pieces that it would really help engage my young readers! One thing about this book is it is on the longer side so it would need to be broken up in a few days or used solely as a reference to help fund information. Overall, this was such a great book and I highly recommend it for your students!

[Chejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este libro es una especie de diccionario o enciclopedia en miniatura que reúne palabras relacionadas de manera directa o indirecta con el mar. Aunque no tengo certeza sobre el origen de los autores, es evidente que Portugal juega un papel importante en la obra, ya que hay varias menciones de lugares de ese país.

El contenido no busca ser exhaustivo, lo que queda claro al observar que las palabras incluidas y excluidas dependen mucho de la perspectiva de cada lector. Sin embargo, eso no afecta la experiencia de lectura, que es bastante amena. Las ilustraciones complementan de manera excelente, aportando dinamismo y atractivo visual, lo que convierte a este libro en una pequeña joya literaria que definitivamente vale la pena tener. Me da la impresión de que existen otros libros similares que siguen esta línea.

Presentación (2/2): El libro cumple de forma impecable su objetivo de informar y entretener. Desde el primer momento logra captar la atención del lector, y las actividades incluidas son un excelente recurso para ofrecer un entretenimiento adicional.

Diseño de portada (1/1): Al adquirirlo, no esperaba que fuera un libro dirigido a un público infantil (aunque es apto para todas las edades). Sus colores vivos y las ilustraciones destacan, haciéndolo visualmente llamativo.

Claridad y enfoque del tema (2/2): El libro parece ofrecer una introducción breve pero efectiva sobre el mar. No creo que se le pueda exigir más allá de eso, ya que el propósito es brindar una base de conocimiento relacionada con el océano, más que profundizar en ensayos académicos.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although there will be some readers who won't like the illustrator's decision to use only blue, black, and white colors for the images, most of them will understand that choice. After all, it brings to mind the vastness of the ocean waters that cover that most of our planet. I might have added a touch or two of green, but nevertheless, this is a book that is well designed. Each double-page spread offers bountiful information about Earth's five oceans and their briny inhabitants as well as snippets about watercraft, latitude and longitude. There's even a brief explanation for what causes waves in the ocean, accompanied by a stunning image of a ship almost being engulfed by an impressively large wave, which happens to be my favorite illustration. The final page leaves readers in awe as they ponder the simple fact that only a very small part of the ocean--5 percent--has been explored by humans. Ah, the possibilities and wonders that lie in the deep for the next generation to explore! While it would have been helpful to include references, the book will surely encourage questioning on the part of readers. For those planning a cruise or a trip to the beach, this oversize but slim volume might fit well into the family's luggage. Don't miss the cool activities included in the book as well.

[Ali Book&Seaglasshunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ocean: A Visual Miscellany”
Thank you to @kidlitexchange for the review copy of this book-all opinions are my own #kidlitexchange #partner

Just in time for summer and shark week, “Ocean” is a deep dive into our world’s most expansive and mysterious realm. Featuring illustrations in blues and black, the text is the main focus of this nonfiction book for older elementary students. The author provides readers with a basic introduction of the world’s oceans, as well as information about sea life, sailing, history, and much more. Also included are Ocean related activities to further understanding and inspire inquiry, and even a recipe! I also appreciated that the author sprinkled humor throughout, which gives a little extra personality to the nonfiction text.
I would recommend this book as a addition to any home or classroom library, especially for upper elementary students.

[Natalie d'Aubermont Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved poring over this new release 'Ocean: A Visual Miscellany' with the kids. It's a collection of all things aquatic and I love how the various topics written are no longer than one or two pages, the perfect amount of information for kids to handle as they can look at one section at a time and not get overwhelmed. My 8 year old has been carrying this one around all week and he's peppering me with fast facts about whales, sea legends, lighthouses and more. I love that the book also includes science experiements to do at home and recipes (caleirada-Portuguese fish stew is now being added to next week's dinner rotation!). The entire book is rendered in gorgeous blues and blacks and is a visual feast indeed; swipe to see more. And the endpapers, swoon, right? Written by Ricardo Henriques and illustrated by Andre Letria. Published by @chronicle in July 2018. #livingbythepage

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is packed full of information about oceans. Everything in this book is in black, white or shades of blue. I learned quite a bit of information about ships, items in the ocean, and navigation.

There were simple experiments to try had i wanted to. There was a recipe for fish stew which sounded gross since I am not really a fish eater. There were international code of signals but i need a flag to do those and they showed me how to make knots, but I wasn't interested. See, there is tons of stuff in this book. They used a varsity of text fonts which makes the book fun to look at and easy to read.

It's a good resource and a fun book to read.

[Lauren- The Smile Lines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the kidlitexchange for a review copy of this book.

After being at the beach this weekend, OCEAN is a perfect book to read together! This nonfiction book is filled with amazing ocean facts, experiment ideas, wonderings, and stories of the sea! The color scheme and font choices kept our attention even more. This is definitely a book you can read bits of here and there because it has so much information! Not only did my children learn, I learned so much! I really enjoyed the various topics covered~ fish, icebergs, geography, ships, astronomy, lighthouse and more!

[Jennifer Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diverse facts drawn from geography, history, biology, etc. are laid out in compelling spreads, rendered in blue, gray, black, and white. There are activities—how to make a paper boat, how to make Portuguese fish stew—alongside information about ships, oceans, astronomy, and more. There’s even a section on the fictional submarine from Jules Verne’s famous novel. If you happen upon it, it’s the kind of thing you can’t help but pick up and flip through.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of information in this book, but the page layout and illustrations, all in deep blue, black and white, work together. Types of boats, navigation, maps with oceans and seas, the major oceans knots, and the international code of signals are just a few of the topics. No bibliography or index, but as the title states, it is a "visual miscellany."

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old school illustrations feature alongside a stunning array of facts about the ocean, from knot tying to types of fish to krakens. Recommended.

[Milva Yaneva · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 звезди
Изключително любопитна книжка за всичко, вързано със завладяващия свят на моретата. Любопитна и за деца, и за възрастни. Ще може да послужи като отправна точка за бъдещи проучвания, знания и опитности. С много препратки, задачки, практични идеи. Доста ми допадна артистичната концепция за книгата - опростените илюстрации, решени в синьо и черно. От друга страна, не ги считам подходящи и в достатъчно количество за един енциклопедичен речник. Но препратките в интернет, гледането на филми, четенето на други книги и най-вече въображението на малкия читател биха компенсирали визуалния дефицит.

[Bárbara Nazaré · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutamente merecedor da menção que recebeu na área da não-ficção! Um livro que ensina, diverte, estimula e entretém. A escrita é interessante e com humor e as ilustrações são deslumbrantes. Para além de incluir definições sobre vários termos ligados à temática, propõe atividades variadas e criativas.

[Mandy Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are simply outstanding.

[Belle Meade School · Rating 5 out of 5]

551.46

[Babies to Bookworms]

This book is full of incredible information about the oceans of the world, the life that exists beneath their surfaces, and the ships and people that sail upon them. Each page is full of small, easily digestible bits of information about everything from species of sea creatures, to tales of mermaids. The illustrations that accompany the text are striking, done completely in sharp shades of blue and black. The book even includes recipes and science experiments that you can easily replicate at home! A great pick for older children who are interested in all things ocean!