SNAPSHOTS

The wondrous natural world of Monterey Bay includes a huge submarine canyon and kelp forest bordered by ever-changing sand hills, tide pools and welcoming estuary. This inviting introduction works on two levels. Quiet alliterative text accompanies gorgeous color photographs illustrating the beauty of the bay and its intriguing occupants for lap-sitting listeners the age of the children pictured on the title page and at the beginning and end. Sidebars add additional text and photographs—captioned in notes at the end—for an older child or the adult reader. (These notes would be more useful if the pages were numbered.) In words and pictures the author-illustrator presents a selection of the marine mammals, invertebrates and seabirds young visitors might encounter. Important concepts, including keystone species, erosion by wind and waves and the uniqueness of different habitats, are embedded in the well-written text. The attractive format and judicious selection make this an excellent choice for nature lovers in any part of the country. (Picture book/nonfiction. 4-10)