St. Martin's Press Coral Reefs

My kids live it and it’s very educational

Excellent idea of incorporating the frame into the story.

This book is gorgeous, that pretty much covers it. The illustrations take the reader on a journey over and around a coral reef. Even without the words, I could easily follow the story. I love the idea of a book taking the reader on a journey to somewhere they may never be able to go in real life. This suits my lifestyle of armchair adventuring. The text does add a great deal of information, a little too much for a read-a-loud I discovered, especially when the students kept interrupting to share things they knew. The students definitely found the bright and colorful illustrations appealing, as did I. It took some of the students a little time to figure out why the coral reef was growing in a building, but once they figured it out they really got into it. This is a great book for sharing, there is so much to share and talk about. I highly recommend it for those who have any interest in the natural world. If you haven't read Chin's Redwoods as well, I recommend that one also.

I have to admit, I am buying most of Jason Chinʼs books because I love his illustrations. He is incredibly creative and clever and his books inspire me on my painting journey.

My kids and I love this book. They studied the underwater world for science in school this year and this book was a perfect supplement. The art is beautiful and draws us in; the text is very informative but not dry. It's a book they'll pick up and look through even if it's not assigned to them; to me, that's the mark of a good "educational" book.