Take a plunge into the strange, surprising depths of this world inside the sea. In twenty-one wet and witty poems, Kurt Cyrus follows a lone sardine in search of its lost school within the dark halls of a great coral reef.From a devious stonefish and a slippery sea snake to a blowfish with attitude and a line of goose-stepping lobsters, here is a realm awash with the weird and the wondrous, the comical and the spooky. No matter how long your stay, this is one hotel you won't want to leave!Includes a visual "key" that leads readers to specific fish within the illustrations. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Gr 3-5-Untitled verses describe a colorful array of ocean creatures, both benign and dangerous, observed by a lone sardine searching for the swirling band of companions that he lost when the school spun out of the range of an invading marlin. "Where did everyone go?/One sardine. Apart. Alone./Welcome to the Mystery Zone." The handsome, busy views convey mystery with clever placement of creatures-some unnamed, some partially hidden, some more realistic than others. Though the sardine is mostly a passing observer, his continuing presence lends a bit of story line to the energetic scenes of underwater life. Moments of fear and danger thread throughout. "Life in the sea offers little that's free;/There's always a devil to pay." There's plenty to see and ponder though some oblique references and the sometimes mocking tone will elude many children. A thumbnail picture-glossary names some 28 species of marine life but provides no explanations or added information. Overall, this is a cheerful tour for browsers that also offers possibilities for shared reading.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Gr. 3-5. Deep in the ocean a tiny sardine is lost in a great coral reef. Cyrus' lavishly colored, detailed paintings show the creatures that lurk in the gorgeous underworld, and in some of his accompanying poems, the language flows like the action it describes. It darts, swerves, and swivels on the page like the sardine; swoops, then loops like a calico scallop; swells into a prickly sack like a porcupine fish; and swirls like a crayfish through a seaweed curtain. The vibrant visuals grab all the attention; there's no space to imagine other images to match Cyrus' words. But the sounds of the poetry are as much fun as the exciting action in the wild setting, making this a great read-aloud for sharing--even with younger grade-schoolers. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2005 Booklist From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.