Over in the Ocean: In a Coral Reef (Simply Nature Books)

The illustrations in this book are captivating. All the original art created for the illustrations is made from clay, and my children were just as fascinated in how the clay fish and other sea creatures were made, as they were in the story/song. My kids are 2, almost 6, and 8. They all loved it in different ways. My 2 YO daughter liked seeing the fish, my 5 YO couldn't stop singing the song, and my 8 YO wanted to study and then try to create the clay creatures. I'm pretty sure any child young enough to appreciate the sea creatures, and any adult with an interest will LOVE this book. I'm going to check out some of the other titles by this author.

This is one of my all-time favorite kid's picture books. Loads of memories reading/singing this over and over with my kids. Now I buy it to give as gifts. It's perfect for before or after a trip to the aquarium. This teaches kids a lot about different sea creatures and their habits, while also giving a joyful experience of togetherness between a child and their adult reader.

---A book that would serve as an enriching literature unit as well as a wonderful gift---This book consists of 11 verses of engaging rhyme in the same form as "Over in the Meadow", using fish and other sea animals instead of meadow animals. A new sea creature is introduced on every 2-page spread in quantities from 1 to 10.For example, for the number "2":Over in the ocean Where the sea grasses grew Lived a mother parrotfish And her parrotfish two. "Grind," said the mother. "We grind," said the two. So they ground on the coral Where the sea grasses grew."And so it goes for each number, 1 through 10, with every verse starting with, "Over in the ocean...." The eleventh verse is a wrap-up where the reader has to find all 55 young animals in the 2-page spread (1 octopus, 2 parrotfish, 3 clownfish and so on), similar to the I Spy books.Some of the supplemental features after the rhyme:* the rhyme printed with the music, sung to the tune of "Over in the Meadow"* information about each of the coral reef animals in the book* hand motions that may be used for each of the verses (e.g., for the needlefish "skitter": put arms way out straight, then separate arms and wiggle fingers in a skittering motion)* description of the artwork by the artistThe artwork is excellent -- aesthetically pleasing and very creative! The artist used polymer clay with various tools to shape all the scenery and animals onto a board. Then, "to create the two-dimensional illustrations for a book, the reliefs are photographed (with careful attention to lighting)." I, as well as my children, enjoy looking at the artwork, trying to guess how it was done. This is the artist's first book; I certainly hope she does more!This book can be used as a launching-off point to teach 2- to 7-year-olds in more than one subject:* The younger ones (ages 2-4) can learn their numbers and counting.* The older ones can use this for memory work. A large class of 5- to 7-year-olds could team up in pairs; each pair could memorize a verse of the rhyme.* It could be used to introduce a unit on : sea creatures, coral reefs, or ocean life.* It could be used to introduce an art unit on clay.* It could be used a the spine of a literature unit with all of the above as additional activities.This could be part of a gift set to a young child, accompanied by some toy sea animals and/or a book about ocean life (or coral reefs or sea animals). The 10 kinds of animals appearing in the rhyme are: octopus, parrotfish, clownfish, stingrays, pufferfish, dolphins, angelfish, needlefish, gruntfish, seahorses.My 5-year-old reads our library copy over and over. I look forward to having our own copy of this book, which will be a keeper in our home.

Every teacher needs this book. It's not just for young grades who are learning to count, but for older grades who are learning about organisms, habitats, and the animal kingdom!! It is so chalk full of information! The opportunities to use it in the classroom abound! The illustrations are amazing! The song is wonderful, and easy for children to learn, not to mention that it is a melody that many children already know. The best buy!

Cute story and lovely artwork: reason for 3 stars is the material of the book. It is not a sturdy hard book, it is like a thick magazine. The material makes it hard to keep the book open and appreciate the fun artwork. Would recommend but only if your okay with a book that doesn't easily stay open.

Our daughter is now 22 months old, and loves all the books in this series. The artwork is beautiful, and is noteworthy because it is actually pictures of scenes that the authors created out of polymer clay. So, when you see the seahorses on the cover of the book, that's a photo of a scene created out of clay. The level of detail is simply remarkable, and the artwork is creative and entertaining for both children and adults.The books also lay the groundwork for counting, but not in an overtly 'teaching' way, but simply as part of cute rhymes and logical progressions of the pages.This book (and all the 'Over in the...' series) are perennial favorites, and our daughter stays engaged from cover to cover virtually every reading, which is the ultimate compliment from her.

Over in the Ocean is another of the series of books by Marianne Berkes and Jeanette Canyon. Each uses the format of "Over in the Meadow" to tell the story of the animals in different habitats. Each story connects parent animals with their babies beginning with number 1 continuing to 10. The story uses rhythm and rhyme to tell about the animals and the region in which they live.

even if you're not a fan of ocean themed lit like i am, you'll love this book. for 1-6 yr olds, it is a fabulous read. the cadence of the rhyme and beauty of the artwork (illustrations) will keep YOU, the adult reader, enthralled as well as your little rugrats, the listeners.it is supremely aggravating to do a night-time read-a-loud of a book that doesn't flow well, or halfway rhymes, or has a horrid plot-line or diaglogue. no such worries here.over in the ocean...grind said the mother, we grind said the three (or 2 or 4 whatever)its catchy w/o being annoying, and simple and...best of all...not too long not too short!great for learning your numbers, too.

Exquisite vibrant Polymer clay illustrations by Jeanette Canyon, stunningly photographed on every page. A delightful 1 - 10 number rhyme by Marianne Berkes, in bold, simple text on every other page.Search for sea creatures beneath the depths, meet rhyming words, count to ten and back to one. Some things need to be looked for carefully, encouraging concentration and perseverance with the delight of finally finding. Scope for discussion is vast and joy to be had loosing yourself amongst the coral.The rhyme introduces you, one by one to the sea creatures which seem to swim right out of the pages. Underneath each rhyme see the number etched into the sand with corresponding star fish. The back page has a list of suggested hand and finger actions for each of the sea creatures ~ Octopus, Parrotfish, Clownfish, Stingray, Pufferfish, Dolphin, Angelfish, Needlefish, Gruntfish and Seahorse.Measurements approx:- Length: 7 3/4 " 20 cm Height: 6 3/4 " 17 cm Depth: 1/2 " 1.5 cmStrong wipe clean pages, though not as rigid as some we have. Superb visual clarity and short verses make this very baby & toddler friendly. From our Ocean Box of goodies, this book is one of the highlights! Most highly recommended, gorgeous! _____>(<')__________________________>(<')__________________________('>)<___________________('>)<_____

So the book is self is very colourful and the rhymes are once you get used to saying them are okay. the big problem I have with this book is that page 9 comes before page 8 in the counting and rhyme sequence, therefore I have to go forward then back a page if I want to count to ten in order.

He loves these books

We love this book and have ordered more by the same author

Over in the Ocean in a Coral Reef is a counting and rhyming book that takes you through the different creatures found in the ocean. With images made of clay my students were engaged throughout the whole story. My students (aged 4-5) took play dough and recreated some of the sea creatures found in the story. I bought this book on a whim and I am so glad I did!

Such beautiful art

Beautiful book and my grandson loved the pictures and the sea horses.

Great book for kids and beautifully illustrated.

Increíble las ilustraciones, son una maravilla de artesanía con fimo, realmente te puedes quedar hipnotizada mirando cada detalle del trabajo tan bien hecho.