Steve Gray

Beach and sunshine draw in with water-creature fun, while showing how important it is for visitors to pick up their own litter.

This is a brightly illustrated book with colorful and cheerful illustrations. It features five water creatures, each one a treat to meet. While especially Cranky Crab does have a bit of a bad mood, even younger readers will have no problem relating to him and find his solution of getting back at the humans a little funny in its own way. But they'll also understand that there is a much better way to handle things, especially when the sea creatures come together and develop a plan.

Littering and beach pollution thanks to thoughtless visitors stands as the center theme. It shows how this can and is a problem for the animals in the sea, and how easy it could be to change things. It's an inspiring tale which keeps a positive attitude the entire way through.

The text is age appropriate but heavier than some picture books, making it appropriate as a read-aloud for ages 4 and up. It does work well in a group theme and can open up for discussions. The text is blocked, making it difficult to discern dialogue for easy reading. A few questions or added information at the end would have also helped to really round this book off. But it is still an enjoyable read with a well done message and characters to make readers/listeners smile.… (meer)