MARVELS IN THE MUCK

Naturalist Wechsler’s latest takes readers on a season-by-season look at a New Jersey salt marsh. The year begins in winter with the teeming life of warmer weather mostly burrowed under the mud. Spring marks the return of migrating species and the greening of the cordgrass that makes up the majority of salt marsh flora. Summer is a good time to explore the plants that make up the salt marsh…if it is windy enough to keep the biting insects away. In the fall, the birds begin their migrations south to warmer marshes. The seasonal organization works well, and the density of the text allows the author to go into a fair amount of detail on such topics as nesting, tidal action and the food chain. Stunning photos of animals with which most readers will be unfamiliar decorate the account throughout. Backmatter includes an explanation of tides, a glossary (even though words are defined within the text), suggested readings and websites and an index. A solid introduction to the complexity and interconnectedness of life in a single habitat. (Nonfiction. 9-11)