A Day in the Salt Marsh is Kevin’s first children’s book. Written in fun-to-read, rhyming verse and beautifully illustrated by Consie Powell, the book introduces kids (and adults!) to the plants and animals that inhabit the unusual and important salt marsh ecosystems. Readers can see how the salt marsh changes through the day as the tide ebbs and flows, while learning about the adaptations and interrelationships of the plants and animals that live there.

To preview the book, read reviews and access supplemental educational resources and materials, visit the Sylvan Dell Publishing website at:

http://www.sylvandellpublishing.com/Marsh.php

What is a Salt Marsh?
Salt marshes are ecosystems where the tides flood the land twice a day with salty, ocean water. In the United States and Canada, salt marshes are found almost continuously along the east coast and Gulf of Mexico. They are also found in estuaries across the west coast.

The plants that inhabit salt marshes are primarily special grasses, such as spartina grass, that can survive being covered by salt water. Many animals also inhabit salt marshes. During low tide, you can see land animals like great blue herons. During high tide, you can see ocean animals such as dolphins. Some animals like fiddler crabs live there all the time.

Salt marshes are important! They provide habitat for many animals. Over 80% of the animals we eat as seafood spend at least part of their life in a salt marsh. Many ocean animals live in salt marshes when they are babies because it is a safer place for them to grow up in than the ocean. Adult animals in the ocean also depend on salt marshes for food. When the grass in the salt marsh dies in winter and falls in the water, it is washed out to the ocean where it provides nutrients that support the ocean food webs. Migratory birds depend on salt marshes as a place to rest and find food as they travel in the spring and fall. Salt marshes also help humans by soaking up the flood waters that are brought ashore during hurricanes and other large storms.