This book is a must for anyone who liked "Finding Nemo"!!! You might think at first it's just a "kiddie" book, but look inside!! It's got TONS of vital information you won't get even from the movie itself. Glossy pages, big colorful pictures, and overflowing humor make this an entertaining book--one that's fun for everybody because it's not terribly short.
The greatest thing about the guide is that it's set up just like a real Eyewitness Handbook of Aquarium Fish from Dorling-Kindersley! It even includes the little arrows that point out specific features of each animal's body. This book is really great fun.
Like all the Essential Guides, it isn't 100% correct in everything it says; for example, the factoid about Dory's species changing color from a yellow juvenile to a blue adult is mistaken. There are two completely different species called Blue Tangs--there's the Blue Tang, or Atlantic Blue Tang, and then the Regal Blue Tang (aka Pacific Blue Tang, Hippo Tang, Regal Blue Surgeonfish, etc.), which is what Dory is. It's the ATLANTIC Blue Tang, the solid blue one without the black palette-shaped markings & yellow caudal fin, that starts off as a yellow fish. However, only tropical fish freaks such as myself will notice a mistake like that..;) Another minor error is the provision of the name "Phil" for Tad the Long-Nosed Butterflyfish's father. For the longest time I DID think his name was Phil, but upon closer listening and subtitle-viewing I decided that his name actually IS Bill, as I've seen it given elsewhere! (When he speaks his name in the film, it really does sound ambiguously Bill/Phil-ish, at least to my ear, so I can't blame the book for making the same mistake I did. But is it just me or does he look more like a Phil than a Bill? Ha, ha. Must just be because that's what I thought it was for like, five years! Sorry Bill! ;-)
There are more inaccuracies or less-than-accuracies, mislabelings and oversimplifications, but nothing horrible or unexpected in a children's books about fictional characters that contains some science. Personally I just think it's great that there's finally a semi-realistic movie to introduce kids to marine biology. Perhaps if they've also read some other DK books or gained a deeper interest, they may realize that you can identify not only main characters, but also various other creatures that can be spotted throughout the film & book. (Most are based on real fishes and such, and even those that are almost completely made-up may look more like one type of animal than another.)
