New Zealand Seashore Secrets

Forest and Bird, Issue 281, 1 August 1996, Page 49

New Zealand Seashore Secrets

Ann Graeme

by Sally Carson and Denis Pagé (Hodder Moa Beckett) 1995, 48pp, $19.95 To me the seashore has always been a source of wonder and surprise. Why do limpets look like Chinese hats? Have seaweeds got roots? What do barnacles do — besides hurting your bare feet? Seashore Secrets lives up to its title. It explains the secret life of common inter-tidal species, with colour photos and direct, simple text. It explains concepts, time and tide, rock, sand and muddy shores, and how plants and animals cope with the stress of living in the turbulent world between the tides. Chapter titles are picturesque — "Under Cover" describes the camouflage techniques of

octopus, the eR transparent glass shrimps and the camouflage crabs — "the make-up animals of the underwater world". And who could fail to read the chapter entitled "Sex on the Seashore"? There is a conservation message in the final chapters, linking the well-being of the seashore to human activity and explaining marine reserves. I particularly liked the final chapter on the "seashore code". Attractive, reasonably priced and durably produced, this is a book to help young people to a greater understanding of the treasures and pleasures of the seashore.