Starfish

by Edith Thacher Hurd, illustrated by Robin Brickman

A couple of years ago, as I perused the children's Science section of our local library, my eyes alighted on Starfish and I scooped it from the shelf. Starfish, originally published in 1962 and read by children in Montessori schools, was republished in 2000 as part of the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. In simple, easy to understand language the reader learns that starfish have arms, but no legs; feet, but no toes; a mouth, but no eyes, ears, or nose. The author describes different kinds of starfish. Edith Hurd shares how a starfish grows, moves, and eats. She divulges where they live. An art project and tips on finding starfish are included at the end of the book.

Although Starfish is geared towards children in Preschool and Kindergarten, all of my children find the book interesting and informative. They especially liked learning that the ray of a starfish grows back. Little did I know, when I plucked this book from the shelf, that I had found a star of the sea. Little did I know, that this book would introduce me to what has become an integral part of our Science studies, the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series.