John Frederick Waters (1930–2012)

First of all the book is a bit outdated so some of the wondering about things such as whether there may be a blood-thinner in vampire bat saliva has been figured out by science while other creatures or things have been brought to light (no pun intended).

This easy to read to book will be an interesting starting point for young children who are interested in all types of animals and especially to get them started with animals who use darkness to a means of their survival. And since there are different types of darkness the book is easily divided into chapters that include cave animals, animals that live beneath or under, night-flyers and night crawlers as well as what adaptations are required to help them live.

The writing is easy to read and understand although in some areas almost too simplistic as well as repetitive. This repetitive style will allow it to be a good beginning book for children who are venturing into the world of chapter books without it being overwhelming.

There are beautiful black and white pictures that are found within the book. These detailed pictures help for young readers to relate to the creatures while I love the raccoon on the cover for it is so realistic seeming.

The only problem I found was a bit of an organizational one. The author did a wonderful job in sub-grouping the different animals to discuss them in details. Sadly there were some instances where an animal of another group appeared in the paragraph or there were no heading for other groups. In my opinion I would have loved to seen the consistency within the book myself but still a wonderful read.… (more)

A jellyfish is not a fish by John F. Waters is an informational book about jellyfish. The book lists fun facts such as "Jellyfish swim in cold oceans and warms seas. The book compares the structure of fish to jelly fish. Other facts include listing dangerous poisonous jellyfish and reminds us that some are not poisonous and can "even be picked up but don't pick them up unless you know which ones are safe"

I found this book to be very informational. It would be interesting to read about jellyfish when doing a sea life or summer theme. Or a field trip/vacation to the ocean.

Story extenders can be sponge paining jellyfish then drawing their tentacles. A parachute moves like jelly fish catching water to move itself, parachute catch air. Parachute play could be a an outside activity. Jelly fish are colorful, discussing their colors and graphing favorites on a group chart for group time.… (more)