Flotsam by David Wiesner (2006)
Flotsam is an undersea fantasy of vivid watercolors and abundant imagination. When a young boy finds a camera washed ashore, he develops the film inside and witnesses a hidden world that exists under the waves. From here the exceptional imagery propels the story forward while engaging the imaginations of adventurous young minds.
Every image in the developed photos is a self-contained story. But the collection of photos together, coupled with the frame story, demonstrates to both the characters and the readers that we are all players in a larger story, interconnected across the globe. And just like the young boy who finds a camera in some flotsam on a beach, readers will come to understand that a curious mind can open the doors of discovery and adventure.
Whole Whale by Karen Yin & illustrated by Nelleke Verhoeff
Bright colors and fun shapes make up this toddler romp about 100 animals trying to fit into the physical dimensions of the same book. Because the animals are presented as being in scale with one another they soon reach a dilemma when a blue whale, the largest animal on Earth, tries to join the party. How do you fit a blue whale into a single book?
Of course, they find a way, coming together to create a space open to everyone. Perhaps there’s some subtle messaging on inclusiveness in there, or maybe I’m reading more into it. Either way, the book contains positive imagery with uplifting notes. And when the blue whale joins the animals, it is impressive. The illustrator has created a fun book that teaches animals, counting, colors & shapes, and a demonstrates how a world can be welcome to everyone.
Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
A classic Magic School Bus field trip! Ms. Frizzle packs up the class and drives right over the beach and into the waves. Beneath the surface they explore coral reefs, dive over the continental shelf, and delve into deep-water trenches. The class (and a wayward lifeguard) encounter all varieties of sea creatures, all while delivering facts and adventure for readers.
A few quick thoughts for you Ms. Frizzle stans:
1. How does Ms. Frizzle convince these kids’ parents to sign off on these field trips?
2. How high are the premiums on this school’s insurance policies? These field
trips are the very definition of liability.
3. Ms. Frizzle is wearing a dress of various nautical flags in this book. Can someone
please sew me this dress? PLEASE???
4. The speed at which that bus went from the beach to veering off the continental
shelf is more than sufficient to give all these kids the bends (please don’t ‘at’ me
about magic buses and such).
Coral Reefs by Jason Chin
Coral Reefs begins with a young girl opening a book about coral reefs in a public library (visually it is the main branch of the New York Public Library). She reads what we read, a straightforward examination of what corals are, how they build into reefs, and the many aspects of the ecosystems that manifest around the reefs. The reefs are a vital space for so much of what lives beneath the waves, and Chin does an excellent job of explaining every level from coral polyps at the base to the sharks that hunt around the reefs to how they affect the ecosystems around them and beyond.
What makes Coral Reefs more than just a standard non-fiction book is the relationship between the text and illustrations (catch the metaphor?). As the young girl reads more of the book, the library around her begins to fill with water, with the little coral polyps at its base. The building fills more and more and the coral expands into a reef. When the text shifts to functions of the ecosystem, so does the illustrations as the library is completely replaced and we are now entirely submerged. Readers will experience everything they learn, a excellent guide for visual learners and curious kids.
At the end, the author provides information about the threats to coral reefs around the world as well as ways we all can help protect and preserve them for the future.
Earth’s Incredible Oceans by Jess French and Claire McElfatrick
This overview published by DK is the perfect ocean guide for young inquisitive minds. Did you know we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the mysterious ocean floor? Do you know how tides work? Can you identify gastropods, bivalves, or cephalopods?
Learn about the levels of the ocean, why narwhals have those tusks, the difference between a ‘school’ and a ‘shoal’ of fish, and so, so much more! There are so many facts, illustrations, and infographics for kids to get lost in, and just enough information to spark further curiosity and a desire to learn more. If you have a young reader who is eager to absorb a lot of ocean trivia, they will love Earth’s Incredible Oceans.
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