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Dive In: Swim with Sea Creatures at Their Actual Size
Splash into one of the world's most alluring-- and threatened-- habitats, without getting your feet wet.
Without traveling any further than your bookshelf, encounter exquisite coral reef creatures in this clever introduction to underwater life! Brightly illustrated at true-to-life size, Dive In introduces more than twenty undersea creatures. From the brilliantly colored rainbow parrotfish to a venomous southern stingray, follow the path of a scuba diver discovering the many creatures living in a coral reef-- including a huge gatefold spread featuring a massive reef shark.
As you go, you'll find that each detailed, bright spread fits together with the next, charting a journey through one big scene in this meticulously illustrated nonfiction picture book.
Accompanying the vibrant artwork are detailed descriptions of the 29 featured creatures, revealing their intriguing habits and more about the Caribbean coral reef they call home. A key included in the back matter shows how the pages smartly fit together. An index, a map, and a section on protecting coral reefs are also included.
Budding conservationists will love learning about this vital ecosystem of coral reefs around the world from the comforts of home!
Without traveling any further than your bookshelf, encounter exquisite coral reef creatures in this clever introduction to underwater life! Brightly illustrated at true-to-life size, Dive In introduces more than twenty undersea creatures. From the brilliantly colored rainbow parrotfish to a venomous southern stingray, follow the path of a scuba diver discovering the many creatures living in a coral reef-- including a huge gatefold spread featuring a massive reef shark.
As you go, you'll find that each detailed, bright spread fits together with the next, charting a journey through one big scene in this meticulously illustrated nonfiction picture book.
Accompanying the vibrant artwork are detailed descriptions of the 29 featured creatures, revealing their intriguing habits and more about the Caribbean coral reef they call home. A key included in the back matter shows how the pages smartly fit together. An index, a map, and a section on protecting coral reefs are also included.
Budding conservationists will love learning about this vital ecosystem of coral reefs around the world from the comforts of home!
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 7, 2020
21 people want to read
About the author
Roxie Munro
52 books13 followersRoxie Munro has been an artist from the age of six, when she won first prize in a county-wide contest for a painting of a bowl of fruit. She has supported herself all her life on her art, at one point freelancing in Washington DC as a television courtroom artist. Clients included CBS, the Washington Post, and the Associated Press. Fourteen of her paintings have been published as covers of "The New Yorker" magazine.
Roxie is an award-winning author/illustrator of more than 35 books for children, primarily nonfiction. Her books have been translated into French, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, and Japanese. Recent books: "Hatch!"; "EcoMazes: 12 Earth Adventures"; "Desert Days, Desert Nights"; "Inside-Outside Dinosaurs"; and "Busy Builders."
"Roxie's a-MAZE-ing Vacation Adventure" is an interactive animated maze game app for the iPad and iPhone; "Roxie's Doors" is a 3-D animated book app for the iPad (OCG Studios, developer). She also did all the art for the new product KIWiSTORYBOOKS (Kids Interactive Walk-in Story Books).
She creates oils, watercolors, prints, and drawings, primarily cityscapes, which are exhibited widely in the US in galleries and museums. Roxie's work is in numerous private, public, and corporate collections.
Roxie Munro studied at the University of Maryland, the Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore), received a BFA in Painting from the University of Hawaii, attended graduate school at Ohio University (Athens), and received a Yaddo Fellowship. She lectures in museums, schools, conventions, and teaches watercolor on ships, workshops, and in the Paint in Italy program.
Many of her paintings are views from the roof of her sky-lighted loft studio in Long Island City, just across the East River from her home in mid-Manhattan. Roxie is married to the Swedish writer/photographer, Bo Zaunders.
Check out her website at www.roxiemunro.com
Roxie is an award-winning author/illustrator of more than 35 books for children, primarily nonfiction. Her books have been translated into French, Italian, Dutch, Chinese, and Japanese. Recent books: "Hatch!"; "EcoMazes: 12 Earth Adventures"; "Desert Days, Desert Nights"; "Inside-Outside Dinosaurs"; and "Busy Builders."
"Roxie's a-MAZE-ing Vacation Adventure" is an interactive animated maze game app for the iPad and iPhone; "Roxie's Doors" is a 3-D animated book app for the iPad (OCG Studios, developer). She also did all the art for the new product KIWiSTORYBOOKS (Kids Interactive Walk-in Story Books).
She creates oils, watercolors, prints, and drawings, primarily cityscapes, which are exhibited widely in the US in galleries and museums. Roxie's work is in numerous private, public, and corporate collections.
Roxie Munro studied at the University of Maryland, the Maryland Institute College of Art (Baltimore), received a BFA in Painting from the University of Hawaii, attended graduate school at Ohio University (Athens), and received a Yaddo Fellowship. She lectures in museums, schools, conventions, and teaches watercolor on ships, workshops, and in the Paint in Italy program.
Many of her paintings are views from the roof of her sky-lighted loft studio in Long Island City, just across the East River from her home in mid-Manhattan. Roxie is married to the Swedish writer/photographer, Bo Zaunders.
Check out her website at www.roxiemunro.com
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 8, 2025
Tremendous non-fiction picture book for elementary learners focused on the ecosystem of the coral reef!
Roxie Munro’s India and acrylic ink illustrations are gorgeous and will certainly draw in readers. The author-illustrator formats her book with a full page illustration of a small segment of reef containing 1-3 creatures and on the opposite page, describes them in one descriptive paragraph that includes appearance, adaptations, food choices and usually one or two unique characteristics that make each creature stand out. In the book’s final pages, each of the earlier large, colored illustrations are joined together in one black and white picture with each organism numbered and a list naming them below. Also included in the back matter is a glossary, additional resources, and an index.
DIVE IN is a strong choice for the non-fiction, sea life section of any library serving grades 1-5 and for those with someone to read with them would also go well in the hands of those in PK and Kindergarten with an interest in the ecosystem of a coral reef.
Note to librarians: The very center spread has pages that fold out both directions making a gorgeous 4 page spread. This is problematic with frequent use in libraries but I found that carefully and PREEMPTIVELY applying a wide strip of book tape to the fold and then using a folding bone to crease it at the “bendy” part gives many books with fold out portions the support they need to last.
Roxie Munro’s India and acrylic ink illustrations are gorgeous and will certainly draw in readers. The author-illustrator formats her book with a full page illustration of a small segment of reef containing 1-3 creatures and on the opposite page, describes them in one descriptive paragraph that includes appearance, adaptations, food choices and usually one or two unique characteristics that make each creature stand out. In the book’s final pages, each of the earlier large, colored illustrations are joined together in one black and white picture with each organism numbered and a list naming them below. Also included in the back matter is a glossary, additional resources, and an index.
DIVE IN is a strong choice for the non-fiction, sea life section of any library serving grades 1-5 and for those with someone to read with them would also go well in the hands of those in PK and Kindergarten with an interest in the ecosystem of a coral reef.
Note to librarians: The very center spread has pages that fold out both directions making a gorgeous 4 page spread. This is problematic with frequent use in libraries but I found that carefully and PREEMPTIVELY applying a wide strip of book tape to the fold and then using a folding bone to crease it at the “bendy” part gives many books with fold out portions the support they need to last.
Read
June 28, 2021Program Aug. 5
Luminous spreads of true-to-size sea life, from a brilliantly colored rainbow parrotfish to a venomous southern stingray, and a surprise gatefold fit together into one scene in this meticulously illustrated nonfiction picture book.
Accompanying the vibrant artwork are descriptions of the 29 creatures that reveal their intriguing habits and more about the Caribbean coral reef they call home. A key included in the back matter shows how the pages smartly fit together. An index, a map, and a section on protecting coral reefs are also included. Budding conservationists will love learning about this vital ecosystem of coral reefs around the world.
Coral reef conservation -- Juvenile literature.
Audience: Ages 7-10
Grades 2-3
Luminous spreads of true-to-size sea life, from a brilliantly colored rainbow parrotfish to a venomous southern stingray, and a surprise gatefold fit together into one scene in this meticulously illustrated nonfiction picture book.
Accompanying the vibrant artwork are descriptions of the 29 creatures that reveal their intriguing habits and more about the Caribbean coral reef they call home. A key included in the back matter shows how the pages smartly fit together. An index, a map, and a section on protecting coral reefs are also included. Budding conservationists will love learning about this vital ecosystem of coral reefs around the world.
Coral reef conservation -- Juvenile literature.
Audience: Ages 7-10
Grades 2-3
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2025
I remember the book Actual Size, which was fun ... and it's a similar idea here, except with sea creatures. Big, bright, illustrations of fish and other sea life, drawn true to size (so nothing is TOO big (as the book is 10" square ... there is one tri-fold out section to triple the length). You don't always see the entire body, some are just a portion. LOTS of text and info, very factual/science-y (not story time).
Want to read
July 9, 2020Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
December 6, 2020
Gorgeous illustrations. There's even two foldout pages! A scaled drawing in the back complete with sources, index, and glossary make this a lovely nonfiction addition to the library.
February 21, 2022
Beautiful book, with lots of text. This book is geared for older children to learn more about the ocean by diving in.
July 19, 2022
Preschool and school-age
August 29, 2022
Very in depth, not sure if it's the best format for a preschooler. But fun to learn anyway
May 4, 2023
Great art and lots of fishy facts.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews