About the Author

Marianne Berkes has spent much of her life as a teacher, children's theater director and children's librarian. She knows how much children enjoy "interactive" stories and is the author of many entertaining and educational picture books that make a child's learning relevant. Reading, music, theater, gardening, and cooking have been a constant in Marianne's life. Her books are inspired by her love of nature. Marianne hopes to open kids' eyes to the magic found in our natural world. She now writes full time. An energetic presenter at schools and conferences, Marianne believes that "hands on" learning is fun. Her website is www.MarianneBerkes.com. Jeanette Canyon received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Columbus College of Art & Design. Inspired by the philosophy and schools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, she has enjoyed a distinguished career as an artist and arts educator of young children for over a decade. She now spends her time creating art for children's books, visiting schools, and sharing her creative spirit with others.

The whimsical, brightly colored and richly textured illustrations Jeanette Canyon creates for her books are relief sculptures fashioned from polymer clay with an occasional use of mixed media. She explains, "As a fine artist, I love to express myself with an array of colors, patterns and textures, and to make things with my hands—just as children do! The original art I create from polymer clay speaks to my love of both sculpting and painting." Unbounded imagination, a belief in unlimited possibilities and a celebration of creativity are the motivations that shape her innovative approach to the strikingly beautiful art she creates for children's books. Her artistic inspiration, coupled with great skill and talent are the ingredients to her spellbinding pictures that are loved and admired by children and adults alike.

Jeannette has published three books with Dawn Publications. Her first book, the bestselling Over in the Ocean, In a Coral Reef has won several awards, including the 2006 Learning Magazine Teacher's Choice Award. Her second book, City Beats (written by S. Kelly Rammell), was selected by the New York Public Library as one of their Top 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing. The highly anticipated Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme will be published in March 2007.

Reviews

Remarkable clay compositions recreate the undersea world in the board book Over in the Ocean in a Coral Reef by Marianne Berkes, illus. by Jeanette Canyon, a riff on the classic Over in the Meadow. Youngsters can almost touch the smooth scales of a fish or the rough spikes of a coral reef as they count up from a fuchsia "mother octopus and her octopus one" to 10 lime-green seahorses with their father. And the watery backdrop shifts from 1, 2, 3 to ABC in A Swim Through the Sea by Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini, which traces salty creatures from Angelfish to Zebrafish. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.