Into the A, B, Sea: An Ocean Alphabet

Great graphics! And great vocab builder (never heard of a narwhal until this book)!

My 2-year old daughter and I came accross this book in her Gymboree class and she loved it so much that we had to buy it.

I don't know how anyone could give this book anything lower than 5 stars. This book, as well as One Nighttime Sea, are two of the most beautifully illustrated books I think I have ever seen for young people - even all adults should appreciate it. Not only are the drawings gorgeous, the rhymes are so clever and great, and it introduces children to out of the ordinary sea animals - not just a dolphin, seal, crab...This is a must have for anyone who appreciates the ocean or beautiful things.

I teach in primary classroom and we do a unit on oceans every year. This book is a terrific addition to the unit because the illustrations are simple yet captivating. The rhyming text works well in the primary classroom too. I especially like the information at the end of the book - useful facts that allow the reader to go further.

For parents of preschool-age children, and fans of cut-paper art, "Into the A, B, Sea" represents a satisfying experience. I believe Steve Jenkins represents one of the most successful artists of cut-paper collages. The rhymes are simple, and the pictures focus on the shapes and textures of the animals without any clutter. "Into the A, B, Sea" ranks up there with some other excellent titles by Mr. Jenkins including "Biggest, Strongest, Fastest"; "The Top of the World: Climbing Mount Everest"; and "What Do You do When Something Wants to Eat You". These other titles, by Mr. Jenkins alone, pack more information/education into each page. Mr. Jenkins has collaborated with more extensive poetry selections in "This Big Sky". Other books in this vein--combining bright images and simple verse, although not cut-paper, would be "In the Tall, Tall Grass" and "In the Small, Small Pond", both by Denise Fleming, "Baboon" by Kate Banks, and, of course, "On the Day you Were Born" by Debra Frasier. One of my most favorite read-aloud, cut-paper books is "Mouse Mess" by Linnea Asplind Riley. My first daughter adored this book as a preschooler, and had all the text memorized by her 3rd year.