Professor Astro-Cat’s Deep-Sea Voyage

Professor Astro-Cat and his team are off on another adventure. Having arrived at the beach to enjoy some fun, they take a closer look at the seashore with its tide pools, sand and waves. Each element is clearly explained, with emboldened words appearing in a glossary at the end of the book. After discovering how oceans are formed, the gang climb aboard a ship and proceed to explore the oceans and their features, the water cycle and the diverse habitats and life forms that populate the deep.

This fascinating read is packed full of facts, peppered with the humorous antics of the crew. Along with the food web, water cycle and sea creatures, many of the places they visit- the Galapagos Islands, the Antarctic, underwater mountains, tectonic plates- feature in the KS2 curriculum, making this as useful as it is attractive.

The book also looks at the threats that are facing the oceans from overfishing to plastic pollution before explaining what is being done to reverse this and things that can be done to help. There is a Factoids section at the end which contains some amazing snippets of information to get young scientists investigating!

As with all these books, the illustrations are brilliant. Bright colours and bold blocks add to the appeal. Contents and index pages help readers to quickly navigate the text, making this excellent for dipping in and out of, locating information or reading from cover to cover.

Professor Astro Cat’s latest trip is every bit as enjoyable and informative as his previous expeditions. Join him on his deep sea voyage soon!

Professor Astro Cat’s Deep-Sea Voyage

Dr Dominic Walliman, illustrated by Ben Newman

Flying Eye Books ISBN: 978-1912497126

A Turtle’s View of the Ocean Blue

With a sea turtle acting as guide , ‘A Turtle’s View of the Ocean Blue’ offers a fascinating look at the ‘five big blues’ and the essential role they play. There is so much to learn here, all presented in easily digested sections, using child-friendly language. Starting with the location and importance of the oceans, each one is then introduced in more detail. Waves, tides and currents are the next focus, with each element being explained clearly with diagrams and illustrations to support.

The book continues to look at ocean habitats, ‘wonders’ and the threats the oceans face. A comprehensive contents and index make it easy to navigate the book for research and a glossary explains terms not explained in the body of the text. The book offers not only an excellent tool for children, but great support for the non-specialist teacher with the KS1 Geography statement-name and locate the world’s seven continents and five oceans- and various elements of the KS2 curriculum. The book is also perfect for dipping in and out of for finding out about wonders like St Elmo’s fire and fog ‘tsunamis’.

Books like this one are key for teaching children the research and note making skills they need to be able to apply their writing skills across the curriculum. Children are often presented with the vastness of the internet for research with no guidance as to the many skills which are need to sift through layers of information , often resorting to flicking from one site to the next in the vain hope of finding something they can copy. Carefully chosen books allow teachers to develop much needed skills in the knowledge that what the children are trying to find out is actually contained in the material they are being offered. Everything from the early skills of using a contents and side headings to those required to interpret diagrams and graphical devices can be tackled using books like this one.

Beautifully illustrated, ‘A Turtle’s View of the Ocean Blue’ is perfect for navigating and wondering at every aspect of our oceans.

A Turtle’s View of the Ocean Blue

Catherine Barr, illustrated by Brendan Kearney

Laurence King ISBN: 978-1786279095