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Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean    by Gail Langer Karwoski & Connie McLennan Amazon.com order for
Water Beds
by Gail Langer Karwoski
Order:  USA  Can
Arbordale, 2007 (2005)
Hardcover, Softcover

Read an Excerpt

* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

In her Preface, Gail Langer Karwoski speaks of the sleep habits of marine mammals, and of our own need for sleep. She suggests that 'As our minds drift into sleep, we can pretend that we're floating on gentle waves all night long.'

Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean begins with Connie McLennan's well executed illustration of a boy tucked into bed, alongside stuffed animals that are sea critters, his imagination clearly wide awake. Karwoski's text asks, 'Have you ever wondered what it would be like to sleep in the deep, deep sea?'

The boy appears in each picture that follows, mimicking the position of the sleeping marine mammals he's with. First we meet Orcas, 'a rhythmic dance of black and white in the blue sea.' Next we snooze along with Harbor seals, Dolphins, Manatees, Humpbacks, Northern fur seals, Belugas, Walruses who 'bob like buoys in the brine', Elephant seals, and Sea otters.

The book concludes with a couple of informatory pages on marine mammals, and a craft to Make Your Own Marine Mammal, with guidance on selecting and drawing its attributes. Kids interested in the ocean's inhabitants will treasure Water Beds, and adults will enjoy reading (and learning) along with them.

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