At the Sea Floor Cafe: Odd Ocean Critter Poems

At the Sea Floor Café is a very insightful and well-done book. The illustrations are unique and edgy, and go perfectly with the poetry.

Although the wording of the poetry is engaging, the overall format of the book is not. The extra information regarding the sea creatures mentioned isn’t needed, nor is the glossary, nor the Poetry Notes included in the back of the book.

While author Leslie Bulion may have been going for both an educational and entertaining book, she unfortunately did not hit either of those points. One can surely appreciate the exquisite word choices, witty phrases, unique writing style, and effort to educate further, but the statement the author was trying to get across with this book becomes unclear and overwhelmed by the cluttered information. The Poetry Notes included in the back of the book is definitely overdoing it and seems to further confuse the reader. That is not to say that At the Sea Floor Café was hit and miss; it was quite eye-opening and provided a perfect atmosphere of fun for the reader, especially for grade-school students who are looking for a quick, interesting read.

Illustrator Leslie Evans’ pictures show personality and the daring to be different, helping to keep this poetry book afloat by providing pleasant visual surprises with the turn of each page. The lines and edges are executed flawlessly, going beautifully with the mood of The Sea Floor Café.

At the Sea Floor Café: Odd Ocean Critter Poems gives readers a poetic taste of the salty sea and the briny creatures that live beneath.