cover image Seagrass Dreams: A Counting Book

Seagrass Dreams: A Counting Book

Kathleen M. Hanes, illus. by Chloe Bonfield. Seagrass, $17.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-63322-125-3

While counting up to 10, Hanes vividly describes the features and behaviors of 10 creatures that reside in underwater seagrass meadows, including four dugongs that “rip apart seagrass by the roots with their wide, flat muzzles, gobbling down the blades and leaving a trail of muddy sand in their wake.” Other animals include bucktooth parrotfish, Long Island bay scallops, and chocolate chip sea stars that “eject bright orange stomachs out of their mouths to smother and digest prey.” Bonfield creates a sense of watery depth and dimension in her gestural mixed-media images, and an afterword provides greater detail about these creatures; a glossary and map of seagrass habitats are also included. Ages 3–7. (May)