Nonfiction Monday: W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet

W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet by Roland and Marie Smith. Illustrated by John Megahan
Ages 4-8, 32 pages
Sleeping Bear Press, 2008

You won’t need to board a submarine or don a wetsuit to embark on this journey to the bottom of the sea and learn about many of the ocean’s inhabitants, mysteries, and myths. W is for Waves: An Ocean Alphabet, a themed ABC book from the Sleeping Bear Alphabet Science Series, is jam-packed with fascinating facts about marine plant and animal life: plankton, kelp, mollusks, seahorses, penguins, ray fish, sharks, and narwhales, to list a few. In addition to introducing readers to pertinent explorers and scientists (Christopher Columbus, James Cook, Marie Tharp, Rachel Carson, Jacques Cousteau and others), the book also contains intriguing historical, environmental, and geographical information. Beginning with the letter A, for example, readers will learn about Atlantis, the mysterious sunken island from Greek mythology. E is for Exxon Valdez, the ship that spilled tons of crude oil into the ocean, killing many plants and animals. G is for the Great Barrier Reef which is visible from the moon!

Older readers will be captivated by the informative text contained in wide sidebars, while younger readers will enjoy the brief rhymes that appear for each alphabetized topic. Rich, almost-full-page acrylic illustrations bring the ocean’s depths and its wonders to light. Who knows? W is for Waves may be just the book that sparks a young reader’s interest in oceanography or marine biology.

Roland Smith got his first typewriter when he was 5 years old, and has been writing ever since! When attending college in Portland, Oregon, Roland needed a job, so he applied at a zoo. He thought he would be working there a short time, but was employed by the zoo for over twenty years. His love animals is evident in many of his books; he wrote Sea Otter Rescue after working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1990. He and his wife Marie live in Oregon and often write together. He enjoys traveling to do research and taking photos for his books. W is for Waves was released with Sleeping Bear Press in 2008.
Teachers’ guides: http://www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/TeachersGuides/OceanGuide.pdf

This book was reviewed by Heidi Bee Roemer. The bio was written by Laura Crawford. This review is part of the Nonfiction Monday Round-Up posted at All About Children's Books.