Review: Australian Sea Life by Matt Chun

AUSTRALIAN SEA LIFE

by Matt Chun

Hardie Grant Egmont

Picture Book/Non-Fiction

36 pages

ages 7 to 12

In this stunning companion to Australian Birds, Matt Chun takes to the oceans to explore Australia’s most fascinating sea creatures, from the great white shark to the tiny soldier crab.

Matt Chun's unique way of rendering our natural world will spark young readers' imaginations and evoke awe in all nature enthusiasts.

AMAZON / B&N / BOOK DEPOSITORY

MY TIDBITS

Stunning is the word for these illustrations as the under sea world of Australian is highlighted with its vast sea life and tons of information, too.

This is a book for young animal and sea life fans. A must have if you ask me. I was surprised how beautiful the illustrations are. Each one focuses on the sea creature presented and is simply wonderfully depicted in watercolor mastery. These alone make this a book worth flipping through.

As for the sea life (because that is the main focus of the book, after all), this book holds lots of facts and explanations over a wide variety of creatures, which can be found near Australia. This is not a book for younger listeners but is more directed toward the middle grade audience or slightly older readers. The information is rich and straight-forward, meaning that those who really want to learn about the habits, characteristics, habitats, and details of these creatures are going find exactly what they're looking for. 

The text is written in a manner that the intended age group can easily understand. While it is definitely focused on the information surrounding each animal, it is dull or boring, either. Animal fans will discover many things they didn't know before and are sure to be intrigued by more than one or two of the creatures presented.

My favorite part of this book (except the illustrations, of course) is the variety of animals presented. While some are familiar (dolphins, sharks, etcs), others are less known. Everything from coral to dugongs to crabs to fish is explored. This gives the opportunity for young animals fans to not only recognize and confirm knowledge they already have but gives them new facts and favorites to find. 

The author has brought out another book, Australian Birds, which I haven't had the chance to read. However, if it's anything like this one, it's definitely worth snatching up for Australian animal fans.