I love these shine the light books. However, I had never tried one in a storytime setting before. Until the other day. It was in pajama storytime. I turned out the lights (yet we still had some natural light flooding in the windows) and brought out the flashlight. Oh my goodness. The kids were enthralled!! There are other "shine the light" books I have coming up! ( )

Great book to introduce topics about the beach and sea animals/creatures. Fun for all. ( )

Spot the tiny shrimps hiding in the sand, see a shy crab underneath a rock and watch a jewel-like anemone open its tentacles in this gorgeously illustrated book of natures hidden habitats. By simply holding the book up to the light, or shining a light behind each page, young children will be able to discover the animals and plants that live in and around the oceans edge, from the fish and seaweed in the water to the birds that feed there. The innovative see-through device fulfils a similar function to lift-the-flaps books, but has the added interactive dimension of the child being able to see both the surface and the hidden picture at the same time.

My daughters are delighted when we turn the lights off and read books in the dark, guided by flashlights and giggles, so I was instantly interested when I heard about these shine-a-light picture books. On one page is an illustration and some text, but if you shine a light through it from the underside of the page, hidden images suddenly appear to complete the picture. As I expected, my daughters were enchanted with this book when I read it to them. The text is informational, and teaches on the various types of animals that live in tide pools or along the shore. The front page asks readers to guess what animal or plant is hiding there, just under the water or beneath the rock. When you shine the light from below you will see if you guessed right! Then, turn the page to read factual details about the revealed animal. The last two pages of the book provide more details about the plants and animals unveiled. This is a fun way to teach kids about the shore habitat that is sure to keep them engaged. ( )

An interactive introduction to the biodiversity of tide pools. ( )