A Day in the Salt Marsh
by Kevin Kurtz; Illustrated by Consie Powell
Published by Sylvan Dell
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Reviewed by Jamie Driggers
If you spend a day in the salt marsh, you’ll notice an amazing, ever-changing environment. The salt marsh is home to many types of wildlife including crabs, snails, dolphins, otters, birds, fish and oysters, as well as grasses that don’t die even though they are often covered with salt water.
You and your children can learn much about this dynamic habitat in A Day in the Salt Marsh. Set to rhyme, the text tells, hour by hour, what may happen as the tide rises and falls. Readers learn some animal behaviors and interesting tidbits about this ecosystem.
As a science teacher who believes strongly in the read-aloud, I see this book as an interesting class discussion starter. It provides several jumping-off points for further study. The illustrations are unique in that they show both a close-up view as well as a far off view in the same page, but it doesn’t feel disjointed like it may sound. They are really quite lovely. The rhyming cadence is a touch clunky, but not unbearable and after a couple reads, an experienced read-alouder will sail right through.
Overall, this is a neat picture book on a less familiar topic. And for those who wish to learn more (or for those science teachers among us), there are additional activities at the end of the book.
Armchair Interviews says: This book will be of great use to broaden, particularly, a land-locked child’s horizons.