SECRET SEAHORSE

Fabric collages ornamented with buttons, beads, and sequins make visually arresting illustrations for this simple story about an elusive seahorse. The unnamed (and unseen) first-person narrator spots the single tan seahorse in the first spread and searches for him on subsequent double-page spreads. Though the rhyming text asserts that the seahorse can’t be found, children will enjoy discovering a glimpse of the shy creature on each spread, concluding with the discovery of an entire family of seahorses. The last section of the volume—also illustrated with fabric collages—includes basic information about coral reefs, sea creatures, and seahorses. The needlework illustrations are more appropriate to the fictional portion of the work than to introducing specific species to children, but overall the volume will serve as a creative introduction to the undersea environment of the coral reef or as supplemental material for early-elementary classroom studies. (Picture book. 3-8)