Hello, friends! Our book today is Deep In The Sea, written by Susan B. Katz and illustrated/pop-ups by David A. Carter, a charming undersea pop-up adventure that compares ocean creatures to their land-based “counterparts”.

This sturdy pop-up title welcomes readers by explaining that when it comes to aquatic vs. land animals, “sometimes a name is almost the same”. For instance, while cats purr, catfish stir. And while cows graze, sea cows laze. These simple, bite-sized rhymes are laid out across flaps that open to reveal pop-up scenes of underwater creatures like starfish, sea lions, and leopard sharks.

A fun read. The concept is clever, and while some of the rhymes feel like a bit of a stretch, either in assonance or plausibility (do leopards really “tower”?), most are enjoyable and easy enough for beginning readers to grasp. The best part is the art, in particular the pop-up scenes, which do a wonderful job of illustrating the sea creatures while also mimicking their natural underwater movements, making them seem to “swim” across the page whenever a flap is opened. This is definitely a book for beginners, and while there is a nice mix of familiar and lesser-known sea critters, there is no more info given about them than what their rhyme imparts. It’s a quick read, and JJ absolutely loved it. A lovely oceanic primer for the littlest bookworms, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved!

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)