This book reads like the short stories in a Highlights magazine, pages with fun facts woven into the story. The illustrations are bold and bright, also reminiscent of the art featured in the previously mentioned magazine. As my kids, and many others, love that magazine I'd say this is a win for an educational read for little ones.

Ocean's World is truly a beautiful book. Two brothers head out to the beach with their dog in search for their mothers' favorite shells for her birthday. While at the beach looking for shells the story takes us all on an adventure learning fun facts about ocean life. The illustrations are bright and colorful, and the fun facts are interesting. This was a great story for my little as we love going to the beach and hunting down shells.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

This is a Children's book that I read to my twin boys. I loved the pictures in this book, and I love all the facts and Hawaii words in this book. I have found that this book's storyline does not flow easily, and I also found that one of the little boys in this book being named Ocean was a little confusing. I really wanted to love this book, but I did not love it or hate it. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

Loved this sweet story of two brothers exploring Hawaii! I appreciated the pronunciation guides throughout and all of the fun facts. about Hawaii! I will definitely be purchasing this.

A cute story of brothers Ocean and Kingston who go on an adventure in the hopes of finding their mother’s favorite “Sunrise Shell” for her birthday. The story takes place in Hawaii and Hawaiian words (with correct pronunciation) are used throughout the book. There are also “fun facts” about nature on just about every other page. A little drawn out, but still a cute read.

#OceansWorld #CarlosAndAlexPenaVega #ThomasNelson #NetGalley

This story is evocative of ocean breeze, sandy beaches, waves and sea surf.

It is the story of Ocean and his brother Kingston on a quest to find a rare sunrise shell for their mother's birthday, in the island of Maui.

During the course of the day, they surf, snorkel and trudge to a volcano. They collect various shells and encounter various flora and fauna.

The illustrations are bright and the story is fast-paced and interesting.

It is sure to engage and inform little minds.

My only concern was how safe was it for kids this young to do so much on their own.

This is a review of the ARC of this book.

Ocean and his little brother, Kingston, are off into a wonderful adventure. They are exploring the beautiful Hawaiian island of Maui to find a rare sunrise shell for their mom's birthday present.

Along the way they experience the sights and sounds of nature found in Hawaii. The reader feels they are participating along with the boys as the two try their best to complete their mission with success. Will the two be victorious and bring happiness to their mom as they present her with an extraordinary beautiful sunrise shell to delight in on her special day?

Carlos and Alexa PenaVega, a celebrity couple, known for their starring roles in Big Time Rush and Spy Kids, respectively, debut their first picture book. It was inspired by their first born son, Ocean, and their home in Hawaii.

The adventure pulls each reader into the search and Ocean's World provides an educational element as well. The couple has added fun facts along the way such as: how high a dolphin can jump, how long it takes a sea-turtle egg to hatch, the names of different types of shells, and showcases various types of animals that are found in the ocean as the boys comb the beach, surf the waves and snorkel, just to cite a few.

The illustrations are vibrant, colourful and marry with the text perfectly. They are spot on for that targeted age group - 4-8 years. The book is up-beat and fun and kids ( and adults ) will love it.

I'm tickled pink with this children's book! Number 1, I love all the references to Hawaii and things Hawaiian. Number 2, the children are having a blast exploring and finding interesting creatures nature has to offer in and around the ocean. Number 3, some Hawaiian vocabulary words are splashed throughout the script - my favorite being 'puka'. Number 4, fun facts dotted the tale - the most interesting to me, the 'nene'. Number 5, it's endearing that Ocean and his brother Kingston are on a quest for their Mom's birthday. Children are going to love this educational narrative, which is embellished in such a cute manner with colorfully bright illustrations. Well done! 5 stars from me!

~ Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger ~

August 2022

Disclaimer: This my honest opinion based on the review copy sent by NetGalley and the Tommy Nelson publishers.

This is such a sweet story, and the illustrations are beautiful! I read this book to my daughters, and they loved pointing out the various types of shells and sea creatures on each page. Even though the story itself was fictional, I liked that it contained nature facts pertaining to the different aspects of the story. I also loved that there was a pronunciation guide for each Hawaiian word used in the story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for sharing a copy of this book with me in exchange for an honest review!

Such a fun adventure or a book. The images are bright and haveso many fun details.
The addition of fun facts and Hawaiian words with pronunciation was a great touch.
I think kids will love it

This children's book tells the story of Ocean and Kingston, two young boys, who explore their surroundings in Hawaii. The book is a fiction story but there are lots of "fun fact" boxes, as well as phonetic pronunciations and even information throughout the story (what the characters say as they discover something etc) that make this a very informative book. From shells, to animals there is lots to learn in this book! Of course, beyond the educational factors, it is also a beautiful picture book portraying a lovely summer day on a beach, an idyllic setting for any picture book (or dream vacation?). I really like this book and would definitely consider purchasing a copy for my classroom library. I would recommend this book to parents of children in the age 4-8 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!

This is a sweet story about two brothers searching for a special shell to give to their mother for her birthday. The illustrations were lovely, I liked the story and the introduction of all the animals and the fun facts were very informative. I do think think this is better suited for a 5-6 year old and there’s a lot of different types of animals and shells spoken about. Also, the introduction of many Hawaiian words which was very informative and interesting! This would be a great bedtime story or a fun story in an educational setting. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the free preview in exchange for an honest review.

This was adorable!

Two brothers and their dog have an adventure on the beach, looking for their mother's favorite kind of shell, to give her as a birthday present. While searching, they get to learn quite a few fan facts about ocean life, and they have a lot of fun.

This is a great summery read I’m sure kids will love. I loved the colors and illustrations, as well as the general fun, curious and exciting feel of the book.

I knew Carlos and Alexa PenaVega mostly from Picture Perfect Mysteries. I love that series, and it’s nice to see they have other talents as well. I'd certainly be happy to check out their other books, if they ever decide to write more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of Ocean's World by Carlos and Alexa PenaVega in exchange for an honest review.

Our little family has been to Hawaii twice and my daughter was so excited to see things she recognized in the book. It really was a lovely story that transported us to a lovely place.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas Nelson: CHILDREN'S for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

This picture book tells the story of a pair of young brothers in Hawaii who are in search of a special shell for their mom. Along the way, they discover plenty of other natural treasures.

The best part of the book are the illustrations. They are vibrant, colorful, whimsical, and just plain adorable. The story is simple but sweet. There are “fun facts” on each spread that are interesting, but they break up the narrative. I think they would be more useful if presented differently, like with a fun fact page at the end instead.

This is a very cute read and would be especially fun leading up to a trip to Hawaii.

Thank you to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for an advance reader copy!

This is an adorable book about 2 young children, Ocean and Kingston off an an adventure in Hawaii to find the perfect gift for their mom. This book is full of interesting and easy to understand facts about Hawaii, animals, and nature. The illustrations are gorgeous and the story is very sweet. This is a book I would recommend and pick up a physical copy of for my children.

Ocean's World is a really beautiful book about two children who try to find a beautiful shell for their mother. I loved the variety of the animals featured in the book, as well as lots of facts about ocean creatures. There is also Hawaiian vocabulary scattered throughout. Beautiful illustrations!

Thank you so much to Thomas Nelson Publishing and Netgalley for the Ebook to read and review.

Actors Carlos and Alexa PenaVega write a beautiful adventure using their very own family as the characters in the story. It’s Alexa’s birthday and their sons Ocean and Kingston want to find her a Sunrise Shell from the beach, sending them both on an amazing adventure.

This was the cutest picture book, it took you on a wonderful adventure around Hawaii in search of one magical shell. The boys explore so many places throughout the story and find so many other shells and creatures and even though the shell they wanted was hard to find they kept searching.

I loved that we got so many extra facts just casually placed within the pages telling us the Hawaiian pronunciation for certain words spoken, or facts about the creatures we see along the way. They were really interesting to learn and I loved that they were included.

The illustrations were adorable so beautifully done, it captured the story so perfectly on each page and I adored looking at them on each page seeing what creatures were there and they were amazing.

I really highly recommend this picture book, it is so creative and sweet and is a visually beautiful book with an amazing adventure and two really cute siblings. It has great simple facts, you’ll be captivated right away and instantly love this book as I did.