Romance, mystery and intrigue revolve around the Seahorse Cafe, where the beautiful Pearl Trout falls in love with Corporal Bert the Soldiercrab. But Reeftown is in danger, and soon Pearl, Bert, and Pearl?s brother Finneus must journey through the ocean depths to find the source of the deadly poison that is destroying the coral reef. Graeme Base?s ?witty rhymes Aand? dynamic, radiantly colored illustrations?should keep both reader and audience immensely entertained? (Publishers Weekly). ?Base will surely delight his many fans with this latest high-color, high-action, high-density composition?Awith? a high-minded ecological message.? -- School Library Journal Graeme Base is the author and illustrator of the international bestsellers Animalia and The Eleventh Hour. He lives in Melbourne, Australia.

As ever growing numbers of animals visit a watering hole, introducing the numbers from one to ten, the water dwindles.

An alphabet book with fantastic and detailed pictures, bearing such labels as "Lazy lions lounging in the local library.

Animalia is a book like no other.

Abounding with fanciful, gorgeously detailed art, it is an alphabet book, a guessing game, and a virtual feast for the eyes. Each page features one letter and images related to that letter—as well as a hidden picture of Graeme Base as a child!

Animalia will entrance any child or adult who enters its fantastical world.

In the tradition of his best-selling alphabet book, Animalia, author and illustrator Graeme Base takes young readers on an exhilarating journey of discovery with an ingenious fusion of counting book, puzzle book, storybook, and art book. From the plains of Africa and the jungles of the Amazon to the woodlands of North America and the deserts of outback Australia, the animals come together to drink from the water hole. But their water supply is diminishing. What's going on? Each sumptuous landscape illustration conceals hidden animal pictures for readers to find as they count the animals that visit the water hole and try to solve the mystery: will the animals come back or is their water source gone forever?

This amazing alliterative "alphabet-alia" provides hours of fun for youngsters of all ages. "The fine art of the full-color alphabet bok is raised to new heights . . . Kids will love the outrageous illustrations, and get a kick out of the letter hunt".--Child Magazine.