From Booklist
Gr. 4-6. Riley conducts a backstage tour of the building of a new public aquarium (evidently the New Jersey State Aquarium) and shows its new residents being caught, transported, housed, fed, trained, doctored, and cared for. The last chapter covers opening day from the visitors' point of view. Kids will pick up intriguing tidbits of information about sharks, octopuses, seals, lobsters, skates, corals, and their undersea neighbors as they read about broader subjects, such as how to build a 760,000-gallon concrete tank, fill it with salt water, stock it with sea creatures, and create an environment that demonstrates more than the food chain. The many full-color photographs provide clear views of activities at sea, on the construction site, and in the finished building, though the addition of an oceanic border in pastels at the bottom of each page detracts from the overall effect. A fine choice for teachers planning class trips and for the kids who visit the aquariums. Carolyn Phelan