Water Sings Blue

Ocean Poems
by Kate Coombs
Illustrated by Meilo So

Coombs, Kate. Water Sings Blue : Ocean Poems. Illustrated by Meilo So. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Book, 2012.

ISBN 9780811872843

Just like the title says, all of the poems in this book are about anything involving the ocean. Poems include fish and creatures who live in the ocean, birds who flock to the ocean, waves, boats, and sand. Each poem provides a positive contribution to the overall theme. Readers will experience more than they might expect to find related to the ocean. The connection of beagles to seagulls in "Seagulls" is a little strange, but the rhyming has a nice flow. Two poems that stand out are "Blue Whale" and "Shipwreck". They are combined on two pages and displayed vertically to show the length of the whale and the shipwreck at the bottom of the ocean. Readers may not experience emotions from this book, but they will be able to visualize the waves, a tide pool, colorful fish, and much more. The poet, Kate Coombs uses gentle sound and figurative language for her poetic elements in this book. 

This collection of twenty-three poems is written by one author, Kate Coombs. This is her first collection of poetry, but she has written one picture book and two middle grade novels. This collection was inspired by her childhood living in Southern California writing poems and collection shells on the beach. Coombs has created a great way for children to experience the enjoyment of the ocean without the travel or getting their feet wet.

The layout of this collection of poems is centered around the ocean. The book's watercolor illustrations are delicate and playful. Each illustration emphasizes the wonders of the ocean world. This book begins with a poem and ends with a poem. There is not a table of contents, page numbers, or an index to help find individual poems. 

A poem I would highlight from this book is "Ocean Realty". This is a great poem to have the students present to the class by acting, drawing, a puppet show, or another creative way. The teacher will read aloud the poem to the class a few times before the students split up into groups to start to plan their presentation. 

Ocean Realty

by Kate Coombs

My name's Frank Hermit.

Here-take my card.

So you want a house 

with a porch and yard?

I have listings for periwinkles,

whelks, and wentletraps;

turbans, tops, and moon shells;

a palatial conch, perhaps?

That one's not available-

I'm waiting for the snail

to vacate his townhouse

and put it up for sale.

But this place has a deck

and a nice view of the land-

beachfront property

is always in demand!