Discover the best kept secrets of our natural heritage, the 12 national sanctuaries created to safeguard pristine marine environments, protect precious oceanic species and historic sites, and provide a dramatic, unforgettably magical realm beneath the waves. From New England's Stellwagen Bank to the Channel Islands of Southern California, from Florida's vivid coral reefs to the craggy coast of the Pacific Northwest, and on to Hawaii and American Samoa, Wild Ocean is a submarine voyage of discovery that will take you places few Americans have ever been, with a world-renowned marine scientist and a gifted underwater photographer and their colleagues as your guides. Sea otters, manatees, and majestic whales...an underwater canyon...reefs alive with manta rays, parrotfish, and sharks...a sunken Civil War ironclad -- Wild Ocean offers all these seldom-seen treasures and much, much more, in an endlessly informative, visually arresting tour of America's undersea preserves....

Earle takes children on an undersea journey to explore an amazing "underwater city." She explains the formation of coral reefs and provides information about the conditions needed for survival. In addition, the author introduces other animals that live in and near the reef and stresses the importance of protecting corals from pollution. Matthews's ink-and-gouache paintings bring the colors and variety of this habitat to life. The book also includes a simple experiment that demonstrates how "filter feeders" strain food from the water....

This wondrous tour of coral reefs will thoroughly delight young children. Dr. Earle’s brief, informative text and Wolcott Henry’s dazzling close-up photographs introduce boys and girls to 12 different fish that dwell in the waters surrounding the reefs. Enchanting gobies pop out at the camera, jewel-like damselfish glimmer, a spotted stingray glides through the deep. Meeting these creatures eye to eye as they glide through clumps of coral, children will marvel at the teeming life in these underwater realms—and will be eager to explore them further.

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