In the Sea

In this aquatic companion to In the Wild and On the Farm, Meade’s trademark woodblock prints and watercolors are intricate, action-filled, and artfully designed, while Elliott’s brief poems are a linguistic treat, filled with dramatic metaphors that also convey information about the species described. The octopus is an “eight-armed apparition” that can vanish “in a cloud of ink./ No ghost, but a magician,” and a shark sports a “brutal grin” that reveals “the terror/ of the dark within.” While Meade’s color schemes are not always realistic, they are artistically appealing and, like the jacket artwork, sometimes stunning. An eye-catching introduction to the beauty of the creatures that live “in the briny deep.” Ages 3–5. (Feb.)