This book has been described as a graphic novel, but it is not. It is a series of cartoon/comics about life under the sea. Each page and occasionally two page spreads depict a different sea creature or issue that the creatures that live in the sea are dealing with. There are stories about common animals such as jellyfish, sharks and whales as well as some not as well known such as Monkfish, torpedo ray and periwinkle. The book touches on prehistoric sea creatures and various facts about sea animals such as what they eat, where they live etc. the book teaches about life under the sea, but it is done in a fun say with wisecracking animals and funny illustrations. The book touches upon the problems brought on by man as well as including a chart at the beginning book that shows the various ratings of threatened species that you can refer back to. A book that will definitely appeal to middle grades boys. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley. ( )

This is a very similar format to another series from Papercutz, Dinosaurs. Like that series, each "story" lasts for about a page with approximately 7 panels. The pages usually show a glimpse of life or a fact about something under the ocean, ending with a joke and sometimes a square of facts about the animal - habitat, endangered status, etc. Towards the end of the book, the storylines shift from informational and light-hearted jokes to more serious discussions of the endangered status of creatures in the ocean, pollution, and the damage caused by humans.

Storylines include the evolution of the icefish, statistics on who's more dangerous - sharks or other creatures - unique properties of starfish, life under the sand on a beach, salmon swimming upstream, and more. The art is a quirky, cartoon style that will be familiar to anyone who enjoys reading European comics. Bug eyes, small print in the speech bubbles, and lots of big noses and long fingers are typical of this style.

These are funny and will appeal to some kids, but they're not my favorite - the small text can be very daunting to readers and the blend of fact and fiction makes it hard for readers to figure out which are interesting facts and which are jokes. In addition, the creators seem fond of a certain type of misogynist joke which irritates me to no end.

Verdict: Certainly not a required addition, but if you have graphic novel readers who just can't get enough, kids who like nonfiction comics, and fans of the European style, it's a reasonable addition to the library.

ISBN: 9781629916613; English edition published 2017 by Papercutz; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

Sea Creatures from Christophe Cazenove is an informational graphic book to help get young readers interested in, and caring about, life in the sea. As such it is good even if a bit uneven. As long as it serves its purpose I think any unevenness or too-silly comments can be forgiven.

I usually revert to my inner child when reading books designed for young readers but this book didn't seem to move me in that direction. I know, that really isn't a substantive comment beyond the fact that it made me wonder why. The why is probably a combination of things. While one reviewer, probably correctly, assumes that the silliness in the first few entries was to draw readers in, I have always (even as a child) been one who bristles when I feel I'm being either talked down to or manipulated (though as a kid I probably didn't use those words to express my feelings of unease). As a result I think my inner child unconsciously turned away and left the adult me reading a child's book.

I do, however, think that this will be fun for the vast majority of young readers and certainly serves an important role in contemporary society. In a world where it is almost mandated by the government to dislike and abuse the environment, look down on all sentient beings and generally have no empathy whatsoever, a book that tries to counter that way of viewing life is important.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )