Weird Sea Creatures

This is a very short book not geared to adults, but as an adult reader I still found the photographs beautiful and interesting. For the price you pay, the author promises and delivers 50 deep sea animals, some belonging to species not yet named. The single paragraphs of text that accompany each image vary in their quality and informativeness with occasionally repetitive detail. There is no real consistency in what he has to say; sometimes size is mentioned, sometimes it is not. Sometimes he describes the lifestyle of the creature, sometimes he does not. Sometimes he relates the animal to others of its kind and gives a larger biological/ecological context for it, sometimes not. You get the picture, I'm sure. But though I have to admit I would have liked more from the text, I still found the stunning color photographs of creatures living in a world of their own, indifferent to us and almost unknown to many oblivious surface dwellers like myself, to be worth perusing.One reviewer complained that the book is "like a folder" -- in its length of 64 pages this might be only a small exaggeration, but the page size is generous enough that such a comparison is misleading. The same reviewer also complained about the dark backgrounds that the author actually explained very clearly in his introductory text; these are meant to simulate the intense darkness of the depths at which his subjects live and were achieved in part with the use of black velvet.If you already know a lot about these creatures or have other books offering a look at them, you can probably skip this book or at least borrow a copy from a friend or local library before making a decision to purchase. But if, like me, you consider a good day to be one in which you learn something new about a subject that fascinates you (even if, until the moment you encountered it, you didn't know it would), this may be a good choice.For those looking to purchase for the young audience for whom the book is intended, I can only say that I learned a lot of my fondness for the natural world from beautifully illustrated books in our home that my siblings and I thumbed through again and again. This slender but visually stunning book could just offer the same pleasure to the young ones in your life with its weird and wonderful contents.

I ordered this for my 4 year old son and he loves it. He enjoys looking at the sea creatures while I read to him. My only complaint would be the spine of the book is slightly coming apart after only a few uses.

The book was well written and had beautiful pictures. I took off a couple of stars, because the glue in the binding came apart during our first reading of the book. The pages are still together, but the book has separated from the cover.

Really really cool book. Excellent photos. We found it at the library & had to have a copy of our own. Is there anything cuter than a 2 year old who can identify a naked sea butterfly?

good quality pcitures

Great book for a 5 year old who is interested in unusual creatures.. Beautiful photos- detailed descriptions that are easily understood by a young child. Pretty amazing to think we share the oceans with these incredible creatures!

My eight-year old grandson loved this book, making his grandmother very happy that because of great reviews she is considered tops with her grandson.I can't find anymore books from this author like this one.

Heavily damaged. Should have been a lot less money. Pictures are great, binding was ruined.

Beautiful book - lovely photography of our wonderful, strange, alien, deep sea inhabitants. Not too big or heavy going (perfect for a younger demographic) - just a cool selection of amazing animals with a little accompanying text.My 7 year old is absolutely obsessed with sea monsters and will ADORE this book.

Beautiful photographs and interesting facts. A lovely book for all ages.

Great book. Exactly what I was after for my 10yr old son who is very interested in deep sea creatures. Very happy with purchase.

Fantastic photos which really inspire the curious imagination. A really great book which is a much educational as it is fantastical!

Wonderful photography, and just enough information about each creature