Let’s take a look at one of the picture books nominated for a Cybils award, The Big Book of the Blue by Yuval Zommer.
Reviewing this book was a joy. First thing you notice is the beautiful blue color and the oversized dimensions, perfect for a book about the huge, expansive ocean. Then you pop it open and you see the playful, lively illustrations. You can imagine the fish swimming and the jellyfish bobbing. Delightful!
That isn’t all there is to discover. In the front matter is a challenge to find a sardine tucked into the illustrations throughout the book (the answers are in the back). Delving deeper, you find general discussions of different creatures found in the ocean before discovering two page spreads about specific ones from sea turtles to dolphins. Each one makes full use of the extra space and some are oriented landscape versus portrait. They are gorgeous! And packed with great information!
The back matter includes “Did you find?” the answers to the sardine challenge, “Fishy Phrases” about scientific vocabulary, and a whale-sized index. But don’t expect to arrive at the back matter quickly. Once you start swimming into the book, you will want to immerse yourself.
The Big Book of the Blue is the type of book that begs to be shared. Grab a copy, find a quiet corner, and spend time with it. Children will love it.
Today our review is at Wrapped in Foil blog.
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