Sea Slime

February 15, 2014
An elementary introduction to a slippery topic. Using the word as often as possible, including at the end of every block of text, Prager exudes basic facts about a gallery of marine creatures. These include jellyfish ("Its whole body is see-through SLIME"), slugs, coral, vampire squid and the ever-popular hagfish--which responds to danger with "undersea goo! Lots of goo!" There are missteps: An unembellished mention of a squid's "eight arms, and two tentacles" may leave readers floundering, and the author slides past mucus' chemical components without a mention. Nevertheless, she does secrete a clear trail of information about how the icky ichor is used in nature for offense, defense, flotation and locomotion. Moreover, a closing section offers more detail on the substance's varied properties, as well as other enrichment material and even an easy recipe. Aside from the all-too-close-up hagfish scene, Bersani's illustrations don't really capture a proper sense of slime's ooey-gooey quality, but she does render marine scenes and creatures accurately. The visuals aren't quite as crowd-pleasing as the text, but much of the content here will nonetheless stick with younger audiences. (Informational picture book. 6-8)

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May 1, 2014

Gr 1-5-Prager explores the variety of ways sea creatures use slime to survive, from mucus bubbles that are used to catch food to protective coverings, flotation devices, and defense techniques. The repeated use of the word "slime" (always seen in a bold, dripping font) and the inclusion of well-known sea dwellers, such as dolphins, sharks, jellyfish, and clownfish, will engage young readers. While the vibrant color illustrations are indeed lifelike, there are some that could benefit from a caption or diagram for clarification, especially when explaining the bodies of the octopus and coral polyps. Back pages provide additional information about slime and sea habitats as well as a simple recipe for making cornstarch-based slime.-Meaghan Darling, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2015
Each double-page spread highlights a marine creature that utilizes sea "slime" for protection, locomotion, catching prey, etc. The marine biologist author uses lots of unscientific language ("The vampire squid has an eight-armed squirt gun that fires SLIME"), but "goo" and "SLIME" on repeat may appeal to some kids. The realistic illustrations are suitable if dull. More information and activities are appended.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)