Mister Seahorse by Eric Carle

As usual Eric Carle teaches an interesting life lesson in the colourful pages of a children's book. Mister Seahorse  discusses how the father seahorse is actually the parent who carries the mother's eggs around in his pouch until they hatch. After Mrs. Seahorse deposits her eggs in his pouch, Mr. Seahorse swims through the sea, he meets five other fish fathers who take care of the babies: 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 belly; and Mr. Bullhead, a catfish, babysits newly hatched fry.Not only is the story an interesting one for preschool aged children, the illustrations are beautiful. What's really fun is that an acetate overlay camouflages the sea creatures as Mister Seahorse passes by: the trumpet fish hide in a patch of reeds, the lion fish hides behind a coral reef, leaf fish are hidden among the seaweed, and the stonefish hides behind a rock. It's an interesting story and the hidden fish a great fun to find!