Mister Seahorse

As always, Eric Carle has created a beautiful book that really captures a child's attention. My 2 year-old daughter just loves this one. She's recently taken to "reading" to me and doesn't much care to be read to these days - this is one of the very few that she requests me to read repeatedly (4 times in a row this afternoon).

Eric Carle usually has some sort of "gimmick" within his books - in this case it is a few pages that are clear, with pictures of seaweed and such, that you can see a fish hiding behind (on the next page).

Why didn't I give it 5 stars? Because of one line toward the end of the story - one in which a fish dad declares he is "babysitting" his own babies! I absolutely cannot stand to hear dads refer to caring for their children as "babysitting." That is wrong on so many levels. I'm thinking of putting a sticker over that and re-writing it - that is how offensive it was to me (and I am not usually a P.C., easily-offended, censoring type of person).

For as offensive as that line is, however, I wouldn't let it prevent you from buying this beautiful, fun book that celebrates fatherhood and different kinds of sea creatures.

My 4 year old and I heard this story at story time at our local library and absolutely loved it! We loved it so much that I purchased it to donate to his pre-school when I volunteered to read to his class. The kids loved it! The story is wonderful and the graphics are outstanding!!

As usual, Carle's illustrations are fabulous. I especially liked the use of transparencies in the book to "hide" the animals. It's a great story for children to learn about the role that males play in rearing offspring of certain species of fish/animals.

I have always loved to read books that Eric Carle has written or illustrated. He has a unique way of expressing his vision into his tissue created artwork. His colors are always so vivid and brilliant. Mr. Seahorse is no exception. The pages light up with color as you follow Mr. Seahorse on his journey through the sea. Only a few male sea animals care for their young. This includes the seahorse, tilapia, kurtus, stickleback, pipe, and bullhead. Each of these fathers care for their young until their birth. I love that the story is factual so children are able to enjoy the story as well as learn interesting facts about these sea creatures. Along Mr. Seahorses journey he meets other animals of the sea hiding in different locations along the way. I loved this book and will continue to enjoy Eric Carles collection.

Book arrived in perfect condition. Illustrations are beautiful and children will love the fish camouflaged behind the acetate pages. One of my favorite Eric Carle books.