Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea

From School Library Journal PreSchool-Grade 1-In a singsong text, a little boy describes his adventure into the deep blue sea. He plays peekaboo with a hermit crab and fences with a swordfish until he eventually discovers a pirate's treasure chest, but he leaves most of it behind when he meets what's on the next page-a shark. Still, he manages to bring a coin back up to his mother, who is waiting for him at the surface. The last page shows all of the animals left behind looking a little less intimidating as they float in the bathtub. Although the concept is fun and the bubbly illustrations are colorful, the book falters due to the text's occasionally bumpy rhythm. "Way down deep in the deep blue sea,/I spy a sea horse racing by me./Hello, sea horse./Giddy-up, sea horse./See you later, sea horse./Swim away." While this offering provides big illustrations, plenty of repetition, and good opportunities for interaction with children during storytime, it may not garner as much enthusiasm from kids as other similar titles, such as Linda Ashman's Rub-a-Dub Sub (Harcourt, 2003).-Julie Roach, Malden Public Library, MA Copyright Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. About the Author Jan Peck has written stories and articles in Highlights for Children, Boys' Life, Humpty Dumpty, and Turtle magazines. In adition, she is the author of The Giant Carrot, illustrated by Barry Root, and her story "The Perfect Dog" is in the best-selling book Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul. Her previous picture book with Simon & Schuster is Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea. She resides in Texas. Valeria Petrone has illustrated several books for children, including Ducks in Muck by Lori Haskins, Say Cheese! by Nancy Smiler Levinson, and Uh-Oh! by Marion Dane Bauer. She is the illustrator for Plumply, Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo and, most recently, illustrated Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea. She currently lives in Italy. Read more