The Tide Pool Waits

AUTHOR: Candace Fleming
ILLUSTRATOR: Amy Hevron

From the Publisher:

Dive into the rich ecology of tide pools and watch a hidden world spring in this masterful nonfiction picture book for very young readers.

Twice a day when the tide goes out, an astonishing world is revealed in the tide pools that form along the Pacific Coast.

Some of the creatures that live here look like stone. Others look like plants. Some move so slowly it’s hard to tell if they’re moving at all, while others are so fast you’re not sure you really saw them. The biggest animals in the pool are smaller than your hand, while the smallest can’t be seen at all without a microscope.

During low tide, all these creatures – big, small, fast, slow – are exposed to air and the sun’s drying heat. And so they have developed ways to survive the wait until the ocean’s return.

Candace Fleming is the author of Honeybee, which received an Orbis Pictus Honor and 7 starred reviews. She brings her knack for making science and nature appealing to the very young in The Tidepool Waits with detailed accounts of dozens of species of sea life, culminating in a perfect primer for students and nature lovers taking their first trip to the shore. Her text is accompanied by effervescent artwork by Amy Hevron and substantial backmatter.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
A Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended Book

Leah’s Thoughts:

A solid pick for curious kids who love ocean life. It has that mix of science and story that really works. Simple enough to follow, but full of cool facts. My boys enjoyed learning about the various creatures that appear in a tide pool, and the bold illustrations helped everything come together. Great for summer nature study or beach trip prep.