A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters: Concrete Poems

Franco and Wertz follow A Curious Collection of Cats and A Dazzling Display of Dogs with another entertaining grouping of concrete poems, this time focusing on undersea life. Most of the poems highlight a single animal: “Fairy-tale creature,/ ancient traveler,/ tiny dragon,/ underwater question./ What tales/ do you have/ to tell us?” reads a poem about a seahorse. On another spread, animals occupy a pie chart to create a “Reef Food Chain”: “The shrimp at the reef nibble algae all day./ A shrimp is what octopi munch./ An eel finds an octopus tasty and fun/ and makes it her mid-morning brunch.” Rendered in vibrant blues and oranges, Wertz’s bold, graphic compositions playfully call to mind posters one might see at a seaside festival. Ages 7–11. Author’s agent: Amy Rennert, Amy Rennert Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Abigail Samoun, Red Fox Literary. (Oct.)