View source for Oceans in 30 Seconds by Jen Green and Wesley Robins

{{infobox2
|title=Oceans in 30 Seconds
|author=Jen Green and Wesley Robins
|reviewer=Louise Jones
|genre=Popular Science
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|isbn=978-1782402398
|pages=96
|publisher=Ivy Kids
|date=April 2015
|aznuk=178240239X
|aznus=178240239X
|cover=178240239X
|website=http://www.wesleyrobins.co.uk/index.html
|summary=A bite-sized guide to all things sea-related. Perfect for budding marine biologists.
}}
''Oceans in 30 Seconds'' is the latest book in the innovative series from Ivy Press, which aims to give an informative and entertaining overview of a given subject in bite-sized chunks. Each given subject has its own two-page spread, with a concise description on the left, covering all of the main points, and a colourful illustration on the right-hand page, complete with extra snippets of information. Each chapter also has a handy 3-second sum up, which further condenses the main idea of the chapter into a single sentence.

''Oceans'' is split into six main subsections, each discussing a different aspect of sea science. For example, the first section: Blue Planet, looks at the science of weather and tides, whereas later sections are dedicated to subjects as varied as seascapes, ocean life, dangerous weather and exploration. The sections also have a useful glossary at the beginning, to explain less-familiar words to young readers.

As with other books in the series, I enjoyed the hands-on experiments, or '3-minute missions.' Young scientists can study melting ice caps with some modelling clay and ice cubes, or create salt crystals by leaving a bowl of salty water in a sunny place. Or how about creating a volcano with copper coins? The experiments are all simple and easy to do, but help to bring science alive and make each lesson memorable.

The book will appeal to primary-aged children and would be especially useful as a resource for geography lessons or projects. The concise format makes the book accessible and easy to read, as the child will not be overwhelmed by an excessively wordy text.

Ivy have done a wonderful job with this beautifully illustrated book, which would make a perfect gift for budding marine biologists and children curious about the mysteries of the sea. Many thanks to the publishers for my review copy.

If you enjoyed this, you will probably like [[Earth in 30 Seconds by Anita Ganeri]] which follows a similar format.  Adults might appreciate [[Island on Fire: The extraordinary story of Laki, the volcano that turned eighteenth-century Europe dark by Alexandra Witze and Jeff Kanipe]].

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[[Category:Reference]]
[[Category:Animals and Wildlife]]
[[Category:Jen Green]]
[[Category:Wesley Robins]]
[[Category:Children's Non-Fiction]]