W Is for Waves by Marie and Roland Smith is one of Sleeping Bear
Press's newest alphabet books. Each letter is presented with a
simple rhyming couplet for young children. For example, "M is
for Mollusks./This popular group/often end up/in somebody's
soup." Then a detailed side panel gives more information for
older readers, often presenting additional terms, such as
"Mariana Trench" and "migration" for the letter M. These
sidebars are two or three paragraphs full of interesting
scientific and historical information about oceans. Topics range
from the legendary lost island of Atlantis (A) to microscopic
zooplankton (Z). Other topics include the Exxon Valdez oil
spill, the Great Barrier Reef, icebergs, Jacques Cousteau,
penguins, Queen Isabella and Columbus, sharks, tides, volcanoes,
surfing, pirates, and the list goes on and on. Illustrator John
Megahan's beautiful acrylic paintings are full of realistic
detail and perfectly complement the text. Sleeping Bear Press
offers a free 24-page downloadable study guid