Oh, Say Can You ‘Sea’ it’s Not an Ocean?

“Fun with Oceans and Seas—A Big Activity Book for Kids about Our Wonderful Waters (and Marvelous Marine Life)” by Emily Greenhalgh is a delightful learning experience for children who are interested in exploring the seven seas (and all of the many other large bodies of salt water oceans) around the globe.

Filled with colorful pictures, maps, puzzles, and word games, “Fun” also compares and contrasts seas with oceans; shows geographically where each are located; and gives examples of flora and fauna that live in the major ones.

Unlike early explorers thought, there are many more than seven seas—actually approximately 50 small seas around the world—readers learn in “Fun.”

This informative little book goes on to explain that a sea is typically defined as a ‘portion of ocean’ that is surrounded by land, with the exception of one—the wide Sargasso Sea in the Caribbean. Interestingly, the Sargasso Sea is determined my ocean currents rather than coastal areas.

Whereas many people use the terms ocean and seas interchangeably, the two are quite distinct. As we learn in “Fun,” five oceans cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface with salt water. Ranging from largest, these are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Arctic Ocean, and the Southern Ocean.

As an adult, I personally found this teaching primer fascinating, educational and extremely informative. My own knowledge of the subject of seas and oceans is much better after reading “Fun” because I never knew the differences in seas and oceans, and I definitely did not know before reading this book that the ocean waters surrounding Antarctica are known as the Southern Ocean. Fascinating!

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Emily Greenhalgh, and Publisher Zeitgeist, Z Kids, for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

What looks like being a decent little early nature book turned puzzle compendium. The tasks are simplicity – basic crosswords, join-the-dots, spot-the-differences, and so on – and the nature notes and details about the oceans and seas are more of an introduction to each page, as opposed to the full-on lesson. You certainly don't get that much text here – but the puzzles act as a decent second way of learning and/or revision aid. I say it "looks like" as my digital review file, downloaded six weeks after it came out, was hopeless, with the text in all the wrong places after a few pages before disappearing altogether. No negativity in the reviews suggest this is the case with sold versions, at least.

My daughter adored this book, and enjoyed learning more about the ocean. She's fascinated by everything to do with the sea and really enjoyed reading more about it

This book is brilliant. It is so full of colour and the illustrations are very cute. I really like how the book is spilt into sections. Full of over 100 different activities linked to the ocean, I think this book is a must buy for anyone who loves the ocean and activities. You will find crack the code, spot the difference, crosswords, dot to dots, word searches, mazes, trace the letters, quizzes, to name just a few of the activities you will find in this amazing book. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

Wow, what a wonderful book for young ones who have ANY interest in the oceans and what is within. I wanted to "dive in" and do the fun activities myself as an adult! There are over 100 fun activities from word games, puzzles, and connect the dots, to drawing and color by numbers, just to name a few. What's even more wonderful is that among the activities and thorough facts are adorable, engaging illustrations as well.
Although I received a free copy from NetGalley, my review is my honest opinion and I am so impressed that I will certainly be purchasing a copy as well.
See a visual review on my YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8aCg4CfK4k&t=339s

You can find many books about the oceans, but most are text based with accompanying images. For early middle grade kids the approach author Emily Greenhalgh takes is a much better one.

In FUN WITH OCEANS AND SEAS you learn about the five oceans and the many seas contained within their borders. Text based informational background pieces lead readers into engaging activities. A great technique for remembering what you’ve read.

Included are code puzzles, visual challenges, crossword puzzles, connect the dot, and word searches. They truly are fun and engaging. An answer key is also provided in the back pages. Even this adult learned a thing or two about our oceans.

A perfect choice for young ocean enthusiasts or for those wanting to start their journey learning about this vast body of water.

This is a lovely ACTIVITY book for younger children. I went through this with my 5 year old son and he enjoyed most of the activities. Some of his favorites were the dot-to-dots , matching and basic coloring pages. We still have a lot of skills to learn, so some was more complicated than what we are ready for. This is a great activity book. Will recommend.

Thank you for the copy in exchange for our honest review.

This is a very cute children's activity book that has many different activities for them to do during the day. This activity book is specifically geared towards the ocean and also teaches children about the ocean.

Adorable illustrations? Check!
Chock full of ocean factoids? Check!
Puzzles and games to keep you entertained? Check!
Fun and easy to understand? Check!

This is such a fun mix of pictures, games, and facts! If you or your kids are super into Shark Week or aquariums, I think you'd love flipping through this book! Plus - it will definitely keep your kids entertained for ages as they work their way through crosswords, matching games, and cracking codes!

Definitely check this one out!

A fun book of information with lovely illustrations that also have a great mix of activities. This would definitely be a great resource in a class or just at home to have fun with

A great educational resource and activity book for young children 6-10 who are interested in oceans and the animals that live in these oceans. Teaches facts, vocabulary, geography, etc. Activities include coloring, crosswords, word searches, etc.

This is a lot of fun for sea loving kids who want an ACTIVITY book (think like a what's missing/code./word puzzle book). For younger readers that don't like writing in books, this might be a challenge. But the theme and information if great for ocean lovers.

First and foremost, this is an activity book. Abolish all reservations about writing in a book and embrace that the purpose of this book is to be written in. If you can get over that hurdle, this would be a great travel book for a kid who is off to the beach for a vacation or a supplemental text for a teacher planning a unit on the ocean. Covering topics from each of the Earth’s five oceans to shipwrecks and magnificent mammals to deep-sea life, Fun with Oceans and Seas includes a brief description of each topic and then activities to use what you learned. The librarian in me is hesitant to add it to my collection because it WILL get written on, but the parent in me can’t wait to take this on our next beach trip.

Have fun learning about oceanography and marine life while coloring, matching, decoding, and even dot-to-dot!
The illustrations by Candela Ferrández are delightful, imaginative, clear, and colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or teacher or your public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Zeitgeist/Z Kids/ Penguin Random House via NetGalley. Thank you!

Having been kindly granted a complimentary copy of "Fun With Ocean and Seas" by NetGalley, I am delighted to share my honest thoughts and experiences regarding this engaging and educational book.

The 'crack the code' activities within the book were well received by my five-year-old daughter. These activities served as a beneficial tool for her to practice and enhance her emerging reading skills, particularly in terms of letter recognition and pronunciation of unfamiliar words. Although the book primarily targets readers within the 4th to 6th grade range, it nevertheless presents avenues for enjoyment and learning for younger children.

As a resource for a homeschooling educator, the potential uses of "Fun With Ocean and Seas" within ocean-themed unit studies are abundant. The book traverses beyond the basic understanding of oceans, delving into a vast array of marine life. This broad coverage is likely to captivate a child's interest, igniting their curiosity and enhancing their knowledge about the diverse inhabitants of the underwater world. Its versatile content thus serves as an engaging educational tool, making learning a fun-filled and enlightening journey.

One point to note, however, is that "Fun With Ocean and Seas" seems to cater more towards independent readers. While its content is highly educational and engaging, the structure and level of complexity might be more suitable for those who are comfortable reading on their own. Regardless, with a little assistance, the book still offers a wealth of knowledge for younger, emerging readers.

I read this book with my nephew. He really enjoyed all of the quizzes and all the illustrations. This book would be great for teachers. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

As a teacher and a mother of two, I am always on the hunt for fun and educational books. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was so cute and colorful. I would recommend getting the physical copy of this book for you and your littles ones to do together. The information in this book is perfect for kids and the pictures are bight and colorful which captured my little ones attentions. I will defensively be picking up a few copies of these for my classroom!

The illustrations in this book are cute and there are a lot of interesting facts and activities. But page 13 says "Scientists believe life started at the bottom of the ocean, billions of years ago." The truth is that SOME scientists believe that life started without a lot of the necessary things for life at the bottom of the ocean. Why not teach our kids to ask questions, use logic, and make sense of creation theories? Random life beginning without a cause is pretty illogical.

* I received this dARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for my review.

Lots of nice quizzes and cute pictures for children to work with. Information on oceans are conveyed nicely. I'm sure this will hep build children's love for nature and sciences. Thank you very much for sending me this e-ARC.