Hoffman, Jilanne. Ocean’s Heart, The: The Tiny Creatures Essential to Life. Khoa Le, Illus. Lerner/Millbrook, 03/2026. [32]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $19.99. 979-8-7656-4346-4. GRADES 2–4. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
The tiniest, most important life forms in the ocean are poetically described, explained, and shown in this digitally-illustrated journey through the ocean’s twilight zone. Zooplankton’s importance to all life, along with their basic daily cycle of feeding, is explained with only a few words per page. Le’s colorful illustrations, in a pencil and line art style, show off the wide variety of shapes and types of these microscopic creatures, along with the many animals that depend on zooplankton for their own parts in the ocean food chain. Includes back matter with more information about these tiny creatures, why they are important to the ocean’s food web, and how readers can help zooplankton, plus resources and websites. A fascinating title for young readers to learn about the ocean’s tiniest life forms.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library