Commotion in the Ocean - Something fishy going on there! (Commotion in the Ocean - Giles Andreae)

Member Name: LAURALILIA

Product:	Commotion in the Ocean - Giles Andreae
Date:	18/03/09 (172 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Plenty of amusing rhyme - colourful illustrations .

Disadvantages: Not very meaty, even a young child might get quickly bored .

Commotion in the Ocean

This is a sequel to The Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae. It is illustrated by David Wojtowycz. It contains a set of poems about different sea creatures and it contains 32 pages. It is published by Orchard books.

This author is perhaps best known for the 'Purple Ronnie' greeting cards and this book is in the same vein, with lots of rhyme and fun. It is a paperback book of good quality and the front cover is very colourful with an octopus and a shark on the front.


The poems are entitled:

Commotion in the Ocean - which gives a summary about what sort of creatures you will find in the book.


Crab
Turtles

Dolphins
Angel Fish

Jelly Fish
Shark

Swordfish
Jellyfish

Octopus
Lobster

Deep Sea
Blue Whale

Walruses
Penguins

Polar Bears
Summary


I like this book because as well as giving children snippets of information about these creatures, there is plenty of language to learn also. Rhyme is used to good effect, as well as plenty of adjectives eg. 'giant pointy teeth, big bulbous eyes.' Each poem also gives an idea of what each creature is like. For example don't get too close to the stingray!

The illustrations are beautiful, very colourful and stimulating, with lots to engage a child. There is lots of use of bright bold colours. At the front of the book on the inside cover there is a black and white picture and some captions, children have to see how many creatures they can identify in the picture. It would also be good to copy (for personal use) to colour in.


Also at the end of the book it asks children how many creatures they can name.

Some of the poems are only four lines long, whilst others are a page, so you can dip in and out of the book. This is also good for younger children who may be able to recognise words as you read the poem together.


Although I like the book, this is not the best one that Giles Andreae has written. I much preferred Giraffes Can't Dance or The Lion Who Wanted to Love. Perhaps this is because my children preferred a story to poems. I did however find it useful for reading to the reception class before lunch when we had a few minutes to spare. It was also good when we were doing about sealife in general.

Here is a tast of what it is like:


"The crab likes walking sideways
And I think the reason why,
Is to make himself look sneaky
And pretend that he's a spy."

I wouldn't recommend this as a book to keep, but I would definitely get if from the library. It is currently available from Amazon for £4.79. There is also the 'look inside' feature, so that you can get an idea of what it is like.

Summary: 'Talking in rhyme - I like this just fine!"