Australia’s Great Reefs
Reviewed by Dr. Jerry Flack
There are many unique facts younger readers may already know about Australia. It is the only nation in the world that is both a country and a continent. It is a great arid land mass, but it also is home to great tropical rain forests. Students may well be familiar with the Great Barrier Reef, one of the outstanding natural wonders on Earth. What they may not know is that virtually the entire coastline of Australia is ringed with coral reefs of enormous length and depth. These include the Great Southern Reef, Montgomery Reef, and Ningaloo Reef. Most recently, aquatic scientists have employed robots to discover an enormous reef of great height within the Great Barrier Reef. The unnamed reef is higher than the Empire State Building!
The first three letters, A, B, and C, build a solid foundation for understanding and appreciating the subject matter from A to Z. “A is for Australian Reefs” features a map of the continent and the great coral reefs that surround it. “B is for Biodiversity” explains the incredible ecosystems that play home to 25 percent of the Earth’s marine life. Biodiversity also explores the extraordinary plant life found in reefs. The letter “C” explores “Coral reefs.” Author-Illustrator Frané Lessac notes that they are often referred to as the “rainforests of the sea.” Coral reefs are homes to millions of living organisms. They cover less than 0.1 percent of the surface of the Earth; yet they have the most diverse marine ecosystem in the world. The coral found in giant reefs may appear to be plants, but they are tiny sea animals called coral polyps. There are two kinds of coral. Hard coral provides the structure for the reefs. Soft coral presents the dazzling shapes and colors.
Some alphabet letters refer to just one sea creature. The letter “S” presents a double page spread of a single marine creature, the sea star. Other letters stand for as many as four or more reef dwellers. The letter “W” is an invitation to learn about four marine animals: walking sharks, whitetip reef sharks, wobbegongs, and whale sharks. Even with less information for the four “W” reef residents, readers still learn fascinating facts. The whale shark is the largest reef fish. They can grow to a length of 40 feet. The whiskered fringe that encircles the heads of wobbegongs acts as camouflage, giving the reef creature the appearance of a shaggy rug.
Reef inhabitants are both tiny and huge. When born, the blue-ringed octopus is no larger than a blueberry in size. But, reef visitors need to be cautious. Its bite can kill humans. Similarly, the irukandji are among the smallest of jellyfish in Australia’s reefs. They are very nearly transparent, but their sting is severe and can also be fatal. On a much larger size, Queensland grouper adults can grow to a length of ten feet and a weight of one half ton. They can be the size of a horse.
Gifted readers may admire oceanic rays. They have the largest brain of all the world’s fish species and are highly intelligent.
“S is for Sea Stars” is one of the most enlightening entries. These coral feeders were formerly called starfish. However, they do not have the basic attributes of fish such as fins, teeth, scales and gills. Sea stars are beautiful in color, but they do pose a threat to reefs because they feed on the juices of coral polyps. They often consume more polyps than the coral can regenerate.
Six of the seven species of sea turtles inhabit Australia’s coral seas. Reef turtles are a moveable feast for other living organisms. Small fish dine on the parasites, dead skin, plants, shrimp, and barnacles that are encrusted on the shells of the sea turtles. The turtles benefit from the meals that make their load much lighter.
Other sea life that inhabit Australian reefs include dolphins, eels, clownfish, jelly fish, mollusks, octopuses, crabs, barracudas, sea horses, and sea anemones.
The illustrations range from land and reef maps to undersea explorations of coral reefs. Each double-page spread provides a geographic portrayal of reefs and their vast inhabitants in a vivid explosion of color. Fantastic backgrounds of color hues include marine blues, greens, aquamarine, pink, and even purple. Some bright spreads are devoted to giant, page-filling portraits of individual creatures such as “O is for Octopuses.” Other pages appear to be artistic aquariums filled with a host of reverberantly colorful marine life. Blue and green glories fill pages devoted to mollusks. Readers of all ages will want to return to the ABC journey of this thoroughgoing ocean exploration. Lassac’s exquisite images are the next best thing to being on a genuine sea hunt. Her factual snapshots primarily dwell on marine biology and cover an exceptional array of reef information; yet there are also comical visual spreads, such as the umpteen facts and visual tributes to black-and-white zebra seahorses.
Home and School Activities
Find a Fish. Frané Lessac provides a fun finale that is a visual game. She paints 12 reef fish that include a blue damsel, an emperor angelfish, and a humbug. She then challenges readers to locate all 12 of the fish throughout her colorful spreads that highlight reef life from A to Z. This activity encourages readers to revisit the book’s glorious pages, plus the opportunity to slow down and savor each painting.
A Reef Glossary. Author-Illustrator Lessac shares an immense body of knowledge in the A to Z pages of her Australian reef tribute. Even so, there are some vital terms that gifted readers need to explore further. Ask students to research, define, and even illustrate crucial reef terminology that at a minimum may include atolls, biodiversity, climate change, coral bleaching, coral polyps, coral reef system(s), echolocation, and ecosystems. Remind researchers that glossaries are always alphabetized.
The Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO world heritage site, is the largest coral reef system on the Earth. It is made up of nearly 3,000 separate reefs and at least nine islands. It is so expansive and extensive that it can be seen from space. It is home to an extraordinarily large number of living organisms. The Internet is rich with facts about this living structure that has been labeled as one of the seven natural wonders in the world. Students may want to explore this incredibly diverse marine wonder by watching video clips that are live tours on the Internet, such as the many visuals sponsored by Pond5 and the website <www.nature.australia.org>. Lessac has created a beautiful alphabet book that, in part, explores the Great Barrier Reef. Encourage gifted students to explore this amazing gift of Mother Earth in both print and online resources and then create a twelve-page calendar that highlights a different aspect of this marine wonder for each month of the year. Each illustration may resemble a brilliantly colorful aquarium.
Help! The Great Barrier Reef and other coral reefs are in danger. In her pages devoted to this incredible natural wonder, Frané Lessac does note enemies such as climate change and coral bleaching. Internet sources further place blame on commercial fishing and man-made pollutants (e.g., plastic) that are placing extraordinary natural reef wonders of the world in a perilous position. One popular environmental magazine wrote an obituary for the Great Barrier Reef as early as 2016. The World Wildlife Fund Australia pages are just one of a plethora of Internet sites that make suggestions of actions citizen (including youth) can take to halt the death of large areas of these marine wonders. One of the best lists is “10 WAYS YOU CAN HELP THE GREAT BARRIER REEF.” Some recommended positive strategies include reducing the use of plastic, adopting a turtle, signing petitions to support net-free fishing, and educating oneself and others about the destruction of the world’s barrier reefs. Please read the environmental tips offered in each issue of the Gifted Development Center newsletter offered by Forest Olson. Search the Internet for further strategies to protect Australia’s coral reefs. In addition to following these and other online suggestions, encourage students to write an editorial about the worldwide importance of saving Australia’s reefs.
Create an Alphabet Book. The alphabet book genre provides a ready-made format for creating a brand new book of one’s own. A Is for Australian Reefs is a splendid example to imitate. Encourage gifted readers and researchers to use travel guides and digital resources to explore other natural wonders of the world. These may include the Grand Canyon, the Aurora Borealis, Victoria Falls, and Mount Everest. Explore other resources that highlight or rank the greatest natural phenomena on the face of the Earth and in its seas. Students can work individually or in groups to brainstorm lists of relevant subjects for each letter of their alphabet. Challenge readers to research the chosen items to include informative text about each entry. Then, invite students to complete their alphabet books with illustrations using imaginative materials and styles. Include author information plus an author-illustrator photograph. Also, be sure the new alphabet book has a glorious cover design. Be sure the completed books are displayed in school or home libraries.
Lessac, Frané. A Is for Australian Reefs. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2023.
