9. Coral Reefs by Jason Chin

 9. Coral Reefs by Jason Chin

Chin, J. (2011). Coral Reefs. NY: Roaring Brook Press.

A young girl makes a trip to the library, but it is no ordinary visit!  She chooses a book about coral reefs.  As she begins to read about the ecosystem of a coral reef, the library, then the city around her, transform into an underwater coral city.  She swims through the coral city observing the plants and animals that call it home.  She learns about the many food chains that make up the food web of a coral reef. At the end of the story, the author includes a section that talks about the threat to coral reefs, the remarkable partnership between corals and algae, and other coral reef facts.

This book has a dust jacket.  I was curious what was underneath it.  It is an exact copy of the front and back of the dust jacket. When I opened this book, I notices the end covers.  They look like a scientist’s drawing of sea creatures labeled with their names and sizes.  As I turned the pages, the library was transforming into a coral reef.  It built my anticipation as I read and learned about coral reefs.  It keeps the reader interested while teaching them facts. The illustrations are colorful and vibrant, just as I would imagine coral, and fish would look in the ocean.  

This would be a great book to use during a science lesson or thematic unit on ocean life. I did find a reading guide about the author.  It tells about him, this book and some of his other books, which are about nature and science.  This guide also gives tips on helping students read nonfiction books.

https://jasonchin.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Jason-Chin-CCSS-Guide-FINAL.pdf

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