About Habitats: Coral Reefs

by Cathryn Sill, John Sill (Illustrator)

Overview

This beginner’s guide introduces coral reefs to young learners (PK-2) and showcases the diversity of wildlife found around the world in these complex ecosystems

ABOUT HABITATS: CORAL REEFS is an engaging first glimpse into this unique habitat. In simple terms, author and former teacher Cathryn Sill explains what corals are and how reefs are built, describes the characteristics of some of the world’s major coral reefs, and highlights some of the many species of animals and plants that have adapted to life in these fragile environments. Detailed illustrations by award-winning wildlife artist John Sill depict a variety of coral reefs, from the Great Barrier Reef in the Pacific Ocean to the Red Sea Reef in the Indian Ocean. The colorful, detailed paintings bring the coral reefs to life for young naturalists.

A map, an afterword, and a glossary provide more detailed information about coral reefs in general and about the wildlife featured in the illustrations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781682636770
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	07/23/2024
Series:	About Habitats
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	48
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cathryn and John Sill are the expert team who created the About… series as well as the About Habitats series. Their books have garnered praise from educators and have won a variety of awards, including Bank Street Best Books, CCBC Choices, NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12, and Orbis Pictus Recommended. Cathryn Sill, a graduate of Western Carolina University, taught early elementary school classes for thirty years.

John Sill holds a BS in wildlife biology from North Carolina State University. Combining his knowledge of wildlife and artistic skill, he has achieved an impressive reputation as a wildlife artist.

Editorial Reviews

"Reliable, plainspoken information on a crucial ecosystem."—Kirkus Reviews

"A beautifully illustrated, informative introduction to a habitat that most children will never see firsthand."—Booklist

From the Publisher

2024-04-20
A nuts-and-bolts introduction to an undersea habitat.

The latest book in this long-running series explores coral reefs, which make up less than 1% of the ocean floor but provide habitats for more than 25% of marine life. In unadorned prose, Cathryn Sill lays out the basics about coral reefs—how they grow and survive, the varieties of corals and types of reefs, the marine creatures that interact with them, and the threats they face. As with previous books in this series, simple sentences appear on each verso, along with a caption for the full-page watercolor illustration on the recto by John Sill, Cathryn’s husband. One of the more interesting spreads—“Corals also get food by hunting at night”—includes a lovely split screen–style illustration, depicting sun coral by day and then by night, its tentacles extended to capture zooplankton. Close-ups of corals and a diagram of the life cycle of Staghorn coral help round out the work. The book concludes with a rather quiet “Coral reefs are important places that need to be protected,” which misses the urgency found in the backmatter, where readers will need to go to find out why.

Reliable, plainspoken information on a crucial ecosystem. (afterword, glossary, further reading, websites, map of major coral reefs of the world) (Informational picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews