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    Coral Reefs, by Jason Chin | Book Review

    Nina SchuylerBy Nina Schuyler3 Mins Read Ages 4-8 Animal Books Books with Girl Characters Environment & Ecology Picture Books Science
    Picture Book: Coral Reef
    Illustration copyright © 2011 by Jason Chin
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    By Nina Schuyler, The Children’s Book Review
    Published: January 27, 2012

    Picture Book: Coral ReefCoral Reefs

    Written and Illustrated by Jason Chin

    Reading level: Ages 5 and up

    Hardcover: 40 pages

    Publisher: Flash Point (October 25, 2011)

    Source: Publisher

    What to expect: Science, Nature, Biology, Marine life, Water

    Jason Chin does something pretty wonderful in his nonfiction book, Coral Reefs: He hasn’t forgotten the wild imagination of a kid.

    What makes Coral Reefs unique is that along with loads of interesting information, he’s included colorful watercolor illustrations that tell their own story. In a sense he is blurring the boundary between fiction and nonfiction. The result is something completely engaging. And this hybrid form dishes out just enough facts without overwhelming. So you learn that though coral reefs may look like plants, they’re actually animals; and at the same time, the pictures, which often take up more than half the page, tell the story of a girl who goes to the library and picks up a book about coral reefs.

    Picture Book: Coral Reef
    Illustration copyright © 2011 by Jason Chin

    You learn coral reefs are the largest structures built by an animal on earth! The Belize barrier reef is over 180 miles long!; and at the same time, the illustrations show the girl’s world transforming, with the library slipping away and turning into coral, along with sea plants and fish. “There are so many species living in reefs that they are often called the cities of the sea,” writes Chin. And the water whooshes into the library, and the girl is swept up on a wave that carries with it octopus, sea turtles, fish and more coral. Very quickly, the girl is floating underwater, exploring and learning about the city of the sea. It’s a city, Chin tells us, with “a complex web of relationships, and each has its own place in the system.”

    “There are so many species living in reefs that they are often called the cities of the sea,”

    After you’ve fallen in love with coral reefs and the teeming life that calls it home—“More than four thousand kinds of fish and thousands of other species have been discovered in coral reefs—more than in any other part of the ocean”—after he’s completely hooked you, Chin has bad news. The reefs, just like so many other living things, are threatened by pollution and over-fishing. Thankfully, he gives a list of things you can do to help. You can—and you’ll want to—form a relationship with the reefs.

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    Coral Reefs, written and illustrated by Jason Chin, was reviewed by Nina Schuyler. Discover more books like Coral Reefs by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Biology, Jason Chin, Marine life, Nature, Science, and Water.

    What to Read Next:

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    3. Pipsie, Nature Detective: The Lunchnapper, by Rick DeDonato | Book Review
    4. My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis, by Paul Meisel | Book Review

    *Disclosure: Please note that this post may contain affiliate links that share some commission. Rest assured that these will not affect the cost of any products and services promoted here. Our team always provides their authentic opinion in all content published on this site.

    Biology Jason Chin Marine life Nature Ocean Science Picture Book Science Water
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    Nina Schuyler
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    Nina Schulyer’s new novel, The Translator, has received starred reviews from Booklist and Shelf Awareness. Her first novel, The Painting, was nominated for the Northern California Book Award and was named a ‘Best Book’ by the San Francisco Chronicle. She teaches creative writing at the University of San Francisco. For more information, visit her at www.ninaschuyler.com.

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