Tuck your little ones into bed with this soothing, restful story. How do marine mammals - animals that breathe air - sleep in the deep waters of the ocean? Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean answers this question. Youngsters meet ten marine mammals, including sea otters and bottlenose dolphins, manatees and harbor seals, humpback whales and walruses, and learn about each animal's unique habits. Although the brief portraits are based on up-to-date scientific research, author Gail Langer Karwoski weaves the facts into simple, poetic language. Connie McLennan's rich oil paintings capture the ocean's habitats and its appealing creatures. The story invites children to drift into a peaceful sleep on the gentle waves of imagination.

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“Water Beds dives into the many mysteries of animal sleep with illustrations that are a dream come true. It’s a great way to introduce youngsters to the variety of sleeping patterns found in marine animals ranging from killer whales to sea otters to walruses. A wonderful bedtime story, perfect for inspiring dreams on the beauty of the oceans.” - SeaWorld Adventure Parks

“My class, old-hands at listening to nonfiction texts read aloud to them, could not wait to reread this book independently, and they unanimously recommended it for other children to enjoy.” - NSTA Recommends.

“This is an amazing book on many levels. First and foremost it is a beautifully illustrated, with soothing prose bedtime book. It is also educational. One of the most beautiful and informative children's books I have seen in a long time.” – Storyteller Book

Author/Artist Bio:

Gail Langer Karwoski (Water Beds, Riverbeds and Julie the Rockhound) is an award-winning children’s book writer; who lives near the University of Georgia with her husband, their two wonderful daughters, and three bossy cats. Gail was inspired to write Water Beds: Sleeping in the Ocean because she has always been fascinated by marine mammals and their sleeping habits. She says that she always read bedtime stories to her now-grown daughters to help them leave the active day behind and to enter the gentle world filled with soothing dreams. In the context of a comforting bedtime story, she wanted young listeners to learn what marine mammals are and how these amazing animals have adapted to their watery homes.

Gail wrote Julie the Rockhound because she said she married a rockhound. On their honeymoon, they hiked through lush western forests and stark “forests” of petrified wood. They dove into foamy aquamarine waves in the Pacific Ocean and dug into crumbly turquoise deposits in the Southwestern desert. Since then, they’ve gone “treasure hunting” for geodes, fossils, and crystals. At the schools where she taught, her classroom was famous because of the “rock box.” Now, as owners of a quartz deposit in South Carolina where visitors can try their luck at digging for crystals, Gail and her husband have watched hundreds of people – both young and old – delight in finding sparkly quartz crystals. She wrote Julie the Rockhound to share this delight in our earth’s treasures with children and their parents.

She is also the author of numerous magazine articles and of five other books for young readers: Miracle: The True Story of the Wreck of the Sea Venture, (Darby Creek Publishers); Quake! Disaster in San Francisco, 1906 (Peachtree Publishers); Surviving Jamestown: The Adventures of Young Sam Collier, (Peachtree Publishers); Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the West with Lewis and Clark, (Peachtree Publishers) and The Tree that Owns Itself: and Other Adventure Tales from Georgia’s Past, (Peachtree).Before becoming a full time author, Gail taught in Georgia public schools. She frequently returns to schools as a visiting author.

Connie McLennan has been a successful freelance artist for almost 25 years since attending Academy of Art College in San Francisco. In addition to illustrating Water Beds (oil), Connie has also illustrated The Rainforest Grew All Around (watercolor and acrylic), Riverbeds: Sleeping in the World's Rivers, and Octavia and Her Purple Ink Cloud (watercolor) for Sylvan Dell. She has also illustrated The Wishing Tree and Domitila. Connie has illustrated numerous textbooks, and has provided illustrations for children's books and magazines for Harcourt, Holt Reinhart & Winston, Scott Foresman, Scholastic and Weekly Reader. In addition to her various illustrations, Connie has done numerous advertising projects. Connie lives with her husband and teenage son in northern California. Visit Connie's website. Help raise money for cancer.