Our Wet World by Sneed B. Collard III

illustrated by James M. Needham

Are you ready to get your feet wet? This companion to Our Natural Homes explores the mutual dependency of the animals and plants that inhabit thirteen aquatic ecosystems.

0-88106-267-7 $16.95 hc

0-88106-268-5 $6.95 pb:

NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 1999

A Reading Rainbow Review Book

Don't look now but we're surrounded! That is, we are surrounded by water. Every plant and animal on the planet needs water to live, grow, and reproduce. Journey underwater to learn about the characteristics of thirteen different aquatic ecosystems and the plants and animals that call them home. Very nicely illustrated. A great beginner's introduction to aquatic ecosystems.

(Parent Council, February 1999)

LIBRARIAN: Our Wet World is a very well illustrated science book for young readers. The text is factual and concise. The illustrations are well done and very informative. The book is an excellent first introduction to biology, ecosystems, and the world around us. I recommend it.

SPECIALIST: Our Wet World by Sneed B. Collard III would be a good supplementary book to introduce fourth to sixth grade visual learners to the diverse world of aquatic ecosystems. Although I would hesitate to call it a " picture book," it does rather refreshingly reverse the normal ratio of text to illustration usually found in texts for this grade level. Thus instead of the picture of the ecosystem being inserted into a page of text, two or three paragraphs of text are inserted in a detailed double page painting of the ecosystem. This presentation works because to observant budding young scientists the painting describes each ecosystem much more accurately and succinctly than could an equal number of pages of words. In addition, considering the brevity of the text, it is indeed remarkable that these "captions" are nonetheless full of interesting and useful information that helps bring the paintings to life. They compliment the paintings by pointing out population information, habitat details, and trophic relationships that would not be immediately apparent from the pictures alone. For more verbal learners this is also a book, however, these pictures do indeed seem to be worth a thousand words.

(Appraisal, Winter 1999)