This title immediately grabbed me. Don’t Eat the Cleaners! sounds like a Poison Control PSA. But the eye-catching cover tells a different story. Have you ever considered how ocean animals get clean? Or how they get dirty in the first place? Susan Stockdale provides an engrossing primer on all things fish bathing.
This nonfiction title highlights how animals depend on each other within ecosystems, in this case, the Great Barrier Reef. From ocean dentists to scratch-healers, tiny fishes clean larger animals and get a meal at the same time. The explanations of the coral reef cleaning stations are thorough and accessible, giving the reader an appreciation for symbiosis in nature. Fascinating facts cover everything from what these tiny fish and shrimp actually do to the surprising ways that animals signal they are ready for a cleaning. Bold, bright illustrations, brimming with colorful patterns, match well with the engaging tone of the text. The back matter provides images of the 30 fish featured in the book, prompting readers who want more to return to reread and locate them all.
This book will find a perfect home in classrooms, libraries, and the hands of any fact-loving kid. Readers will come away with a newfound appreciation for the lives of ocean animals, and if you only remember one thing…
Don’t eat the cleaners!
I love this title! The illustrations are amazing and funny. I love a little humor with my non-fiction. Looking forward to reading it.
This sounds fascinating! And the title is quite the admonition!