Are you ready for a scintillating seahorse fact? The father seahorse is the one who carries the mother's eggs around in his pouch before they hatch. In Mister Seahorse, master collage artist Eric Carle teaches preschoolers this lesson and introduces them to a few other fish who bear the traditionally maternal burden of caring for eggs: the stickleback, tilapia, Kurtus nurseryfish (known here as Mr. Kurtus), pipefish, and bullhead catfish. As ever, it's Carle's art that steals the show. Cut-up tissue paper soaks up the watery paint and makes for a boldly colorful, almost jewel-like undersea journey. The story? Well, repetition is the heart of instruction, after all.

Most of Carle's books employ some sort of gizmo or gadget--and this one is no exception. Here, for a splendid lesson in camouflage, colorful acetate sheets mask marine life that is revealed as the child turns the page. Children may take comfort in the devotion of these undersea fathers...except perhaps at the very end when the father seahorse says to a freshly hatched sea-pony who wants back in the pouch: "I do love you, but now you are ready to be on your own." (Preschool) --Karin Snelson

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-Carle once again successfully introduces his young fans to an interesting aspect of the natural world. Using oceanic hues, he creates a menagerie of fascinating underwater creatures with his trademark painted tissue-paper collage illustrations. After Mrs. Seahorse carefully lays her eggs in the pouch on his belly, Mr. Seahorse gently drifts through the water, promising to take good care of their young while they incubate. As he floats along, he politely greets other fish fathers similarly caring for their offspring and praises their efforts, telling them, "Keep up the good work" and "You should feel proud of yourself." Interspersed between these encounters are scenes where he unknowingly swims past fish that are camouflaged (e.g., trumpet fish hide in some reeds and a lionfish lurks behind a coral reef), and their presence is revealed when readers turn the overlaying acetate pages. Although these episodes do not contribute to the main theme of the story, they introduce a greater variety of sea life and are sure to be a hit with children. Finally, Mr. Seahorse's task is complete and the babies are ready to be born and swim away on their own. Repeated phrases and a balanced structure make this offering a good choice for reading aloud. Although the prolific Carle has produced stronger stories, this one is sure to appeal to a wide audience.Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* PreS-Gr. 3. In this tribute to fathers, fish, and otherwise, Carle adds an element to his signature painted tissue-paper collages that makes his art exceptionally striking. After Mrs. Seahorse deposits her eggs in his pouch, Mr. Seahorse drifts gently through the sea, meeting five other fish fathers who participate in prenatal care: Mr. Stickleback hatches the eggs; Mr. Tilapia holds the eggs in his mouth; Mr. Kurtus, a nurseryfish, sticks the eggs on his head until they hatch; Mr. Pipe, a pipefish, carries the eggs on his narrow belly; and Mr. Bullhead, a catfish, babysits newly hatched fry. With each encounter comes a delightful surprise: an acetate overlay camouflages the sea creatures as Mister Seahorse passes by: a lionfish hides in a coral reef; a stonefish hides behind a rock. The vivid, multicolored fish and translucent scenery perfectly evoke the watery backdrop, and the acetate sea scenes are as innovative as the die-cuts in Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Pair this with Lionni's Swimmy for a delightful glass-bottomed boat tour. Awash with the wonders of undersea life, this is a stunning, ingeniously conceived lesson in nature as well as a celebration of fatherly affection. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Publishers Weekly, starred review
Carle innovatively balances pastel hues with shocks of brilliant color, creating an appealing seascape that succeeds swimmingly.

Book Description
When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs on Mr. Seahorse's belly, she knows he will take good care of them-especially since he gets advice from other fatherly fish. Featuring colorfully surprising acetate overlays, Eric Carle has created a beautiful book, filled with the wonders of aquatic life.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Award-winning author-illustrator Eric Carle creates an undersea world of dads in this effervescent, educational picture book.

Starring Mr. Seahorse -- who grows Mrs. Seahorse's eggs inside a pouch in his belly -- Carle's look at sea creatures follows the hero as he floats through the water, talking to other fathers along the way. As readers see Mr. Seahorse's belly get bigger, they learn about the nest-building Mr. Stickleback, the egg-carrying Mr. Tilapia, and Mr. Kurtus, who keeps Mrs. Kurtus's eggs on his head until they hatch. Mr. Seahorse comes across other fish, too, such as a school of trumpet fish hiding behind a patch of reeds and a lionfish behind a reef -- illustrated acetate pages throughout the book hide the fish until the reader turns the page -- but when Mr. Seahorse's tummy grows big enough, the little seahorses come out and swim away into their new sea world.

Carle has dreamed up another winner, sure to transfix readers with its marine-colored illustrations and enlighten them with its message. Buoyant in atmosphere, each page will dazzle you with the author's signature artwork, mixing white space and bright colors that appear gentle yet deeply complex. A perfect way to talk about a family's love and different kinds of dads, especially when paired with Todd Parr's The Daddy Book or Laura Numeroff's What Daddies Do Best. Matt Warner

ANNOTATION

After Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs on Mr. Seahorse's belly, he drifts through the water, greeting other fish fathers who are taking care of their eggs.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs, she does it on Mr. Seahorse's belly! She knows he will take good care of them. While he swims waiting for the eggs to hatch, he meets some other underwater fathers caring for their babies: Mr. Tilapia, who carries his babies in his mouth; Mr. Kurtus, who keeps his on his head; and Mr. Catfish, who is babysitting his young hatchlings.

Eric Carle has done it again, with astonishingly beautiful collage illustrations and a story that introduces the very young to the wonders of aquatic life...and some very special daddies. A "hide and seek" feature with acetate overlays adds a colorful surprise.

FROM THE CRITICS

The Washington Post

In Mister Seahorse...a salty salute to devoted dads, beloved collage artist Eric Carle draws a warm-hearted story from the ocean's depths...The beguiling cast of creatures includes some animals that Mr. Seahorse doesn't see: They are carefully camouflaged under clear overlay pages printed with vibrant seascapes. This interactive element is a delightful addition to the book.—Jessica Bruder

Publishers Weekly

In this original, entirely engaging book, Carle adds to his rich cache of endearing animal characters while delivering some intriguing information about several underwater species. Father fish come to the forefront here-and deservedly so. When Mrs. Seahorse announces that it is time for her to lay her eggs, Mr. Seahorse affably asks, "Can I help?" She then lays her eggs into a pouch in the belly of her mate, who earnestly announces, "I'll take good care of our eggs.... I promise." Then, drifting through the sea, the expectant pater meets up with other fish who are also carrying-or protecting-eggs, such as Mr. Tilapia, who carries eggs in his mouth, and Mr. Kurtus, who has stuck his mate's eggs on top of his head. Chipper Mr. Seahorse gives each words of encouragement ("Keep up the good work"; "You must be very happy"; "You are doing a fine job"). Between each of Mr. Seahorse's encounters, he unknowingly swims by other sea creatures, cleverly camouflaged behind curtains of seaweed, a coral reef and a rock. Yet readers spy all of these hidden critters when they lift acetate pages, adding a delightful dimension to this first-rate fish tale, capped by a winsome, child-confidence-building finale. In his elegant painted tissue-paper collages, Carle innovatively balances pastel hues with shocks of brilliant color, creating an appealing seascape that succeeds swimmingly. Ages 4-up. (Apr.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature - Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz

When Mrs. Seahorse lays her eggs, Mr. Seahorse takes them into a pouch on his belly and promises to care for them. In the ocean he passes other fish and meets other fathers caring for their young: a stickleback, a lion fish, a tilapia, a bullhead, etc. When it is time for his babies to be born, Mr. Seahorse sends them off to be on their own. This tribute to caring fathers includes facts on the fish that do this, but it is particularly distinguished by Carle's personally traditional use of self-painted tissue paper collage, stunning cut paper shapes on white backgrounds. True to each fish's anatomy, they also add to the esthetic impact of the representation. A few pages have clever overlays of transparent plastic acetate which create screens of seaweed or reef to show how some fish are concealed in nature. The perky dads with names may not be realistic, but the general information provided in a charming way is factual. 2004, Philomel Books/Penguin Young Readers Group, Ages 3 to 8.

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-Carle once again successfully introduces his young fans to an interesting aspect of the natural world. Using oceanic hues, he creates a menagerie of fascinating underwater creatures with his trademark painted tissue-paper collage illustrations. After Mrs. Seahorse carefully lays her eggs in the pouch on his belly, Mr. Seahorse gently drifts through the water, promising to take good care of their young while they incubate. As he floats along, he politely greets other fish fathers similarly caring for their offspring and praises their efforts, telling them, "Keep up the good work" and "You should feel proud of yourself." Interspersed between these encounters are scenes where he unknowingly swims past fish that are camouflaged (e.g., trumpet fish hide in some reeds and a lionfish lurks behind a coral reef), and their presence is revealed when readers turn the overlaying acetate pages. Although these episodes do not contribute to the main theme of the story, they introduce a greater variety of sea life and are sure to be a hit with children. Finally, Mr. Seahorse's task is complete and the babies are ready to be born and swim away on their own. Repeated phrases and a balanced structure make this offering a good choice for reading aloud. Although the prolific Carle has produced stronger stories, this one is sure to appeal to a wide audience.-Piper L. Nyman, Fairfield/Suisun Community Library, Fairfield, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews