Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

I really enjoy this North Star series. This book is visually engaging, it has wonderful photos, and it is the perfect length to keep a young learner's interest. Similar to the Bears book by the same author, this adult learned new and exciting facts about the ocean .

A bright, colorful look at the ocean's levels and what kind of animals live at various depths, this informative picture book will be useful for transitional readers, as well as older readers who are interested in learning more about this fascinating topic. The content was presented in a very user-friendly format, with vignettes and photographs, as well as a full-page spread that focused on a particular content area. Readers will come away learning something new at any age. I highly recommend this book for schools and libraries.

A slender attempt at a 'my first oceans' book, which looks fine but forces me to bring up the phrase "skims the surface" with all apologies for it sounding like a pun. There's such a careful craft in making this accessible for the youngest of young non-fiction readers, that the contents remain very slight indeed. They're fine and everything, but if I were an educator, I'd probably wait a couple of years – and then throw them in the hadal zone.

This book is super informative, age-appropriate, and actually interesting! The author used a variety of words that young readers might not know, but made sure to define them at some point in the book. This helps readers learn new words, and it adds so much educational value to this book as a whole. Another thing that I liked about this book was the approach that the author took in terms of organization. Rather than taking the overused path of talking about various plants and animals that can be found in the ocean, the author tells the reader facts about the ocean, layer by layer. This is a teaching method that you don't see as much, and it made this book more unique, which is great. Lastly, the pictures that were in this book were chosen very well, matched the writing nicely, and were captivating and engaging. Bravo!!

An explanation of which words can be found in the glossary right up front is so helpful and encouraging for kids to check it out / engage with something they otherwise may have overlooked in the back. It’s a fun angle that this book take to encourage kids to learn certain facts to rightfully hold the title of genius. This book is bright, simple, and informative. And important title for nonfiction collections.