This book talks about Marshes and Swamps it talks about what animals inhabit them as well as their ecosystems. ages 4-8

This is a great book to introduce different forms of water in a formal yet entertaining way. This could be a good mentor book to show all the different types of settings a story could take place.

Marshes & Swamps is a good book to learn about the wetlands. This book goes into details of this ecosystem. Children should learn about what is going on. Swamps and marshes helps prevent flooding and there are so many around the United States and Canada. Today, many of our wetlands are being cut down and we are destroying homes for so many species of animals. ( )

Marshes and Swamps shares a general concept of wetlands. Marshes and swamps are defined and shown in labeled pictures containing common wildlife that inhabit the different wetlands. Freshwater and saltwater marshes are explained in this manner along with freshwater and mangrove(saltwater) swamps. The illustrations are very engaging, and a fair description of each ecosystem attempts to place you there. A small section at the end touches on conservation and encourages visiting wetlands yourself to explore further.

Positive book for an introduction, but I wouldn't recommend beyond 3rd grade in a science class. There is no scientific inquiry, and little on conservation and why wetlands should be conserved. Also, more ecosystems and cultural aspects could be covered such as bog marshes in Ireland, prairie potholes in the plains, the Marsh Arab society's dependence on wetlands, etc.

All in all, the book succeeds in its goals of describing the wetland ecosystems and does so with exceptional illustration. 3 stars. ( )

Marshes & Swamps by Gail Gibbons is a very informative picture book about the various swamps and marshes around the world. Gibbons describes the differences between swamps and marshes. The book is organized by separating freshwater marshes from saltwater marshes as well as freshwater swamps from Mangrove swamps, which is a mixture of freshwater and saltwater.
The book gives descriptions of the wildlife and plant-life found in marshes and swamps. This is emphasized by Gibbons illustrations with labels of the items. The reader can clearly see the differences between swamps and marshes through Gibbons detailed illustrations alone. This makes a book that is packed with information easier to read and more visually appealing to the reader. This will especially help with children who are visual learners.
At the end of the book Gibbons gives information on preserving the marshes and swamps that are in danger by pollution and littering. In the last page Gibbons also give facts about the wetlands with little pictures to go with them.