The back of the book features an author’s note on the threats the coral reefs now face as well as additional facts and a small bibliography of useful books and websites. By the end she stands on the library steps utterly wet, and some other kids get to read the book world beneath the sea for themselves. New York City is now underwater and the girl observes firsthand the lagoons, the feeding grounds, and the food chain at work. As we read along we see the girl’s library suddenly flooded. The book explains how reefs are formed, who lives in them, and what their future may be. As she reads we see the text below each image. And compromised though I might be, I’m recommending this puppy with all my heart.Ī girl stands in a library room and removes a book from a shelf entitled Coral Reefs. Clearly an author has to get a little bit wet sometimes to make them interesting. Nonfiction books for kids are usually such dull, dry affairs. Never mind that Chin has already established himself as a master of the magical realism nonfiction form (see: Redwoods) or that the book covers material rarely presented in such an imaginative fashion.

There’s something that makes a gal go all giddy when a book features her place of work. So you see, I’m not sure I can be trusted to review this with an impassive eye. And by “my” I don’t mean my local branch. The bulk of the story happens when a kid enters a library. See, the thing about this book is that it takes place at a very specific location. No, I never saw an early manuscript or offered helpful criticisms when the text was still young and unformed. No, I don’t know the author personally (though we did meet once). I am not exactly a disinterested party when it comes to this book. Let’s just get something out the way here before I go any further.

Coral reefs by jason chin