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In our family, it prompted discussions on such absorbing topics as \u2018do starfish die if they freeze in a brinicle?\u2019 and \u2018what happens if you dig down beneath the seabed?\u2019. The book covers animals, habitats, ocean geography and ecological concepts such as food webs, making it a genuinely educational resource.<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Kate Risely, ornithologist<\/em><\/p>\n
The Great Barrier Reef<\/h3>\n
By Helen Scales, illustrated by Lisk Feng. Published by Flying Eye Books.\u00a0Age range: 5-7 years<\/p>\n
Buy now<\/strong> from Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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One of the planet\u2019s greatest natural wonders twinkles and beguiles in this charming book \u2013 the first for young readers by Scales, a regular BBC Wildlife<\/em> contributor. Like all the best children\u2019s illustrated non-fiction, there is enough here to interest and surprise grown-ups too, but never at the expense of concision or clarity.<\/p>\n
In 40 perfectly paced spreads, we learn about the reef\u2019s natural and human history, including its importance (often overlooked) in the culture of Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, and pick up tidbits about reef exploration and science. Conservation messages are necessarily powerful, without being overwhelming.<\/p>\n
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Scales uses just the right amount of chattiness and wordplay, while Feng\u2019s award-winning artwork reveals secrets from the underwater world, such as a parrotfish tucked into its mucus sleeping bag, or a spawning reef that shimmers like a snow globe.<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Ben Hoare<\/a>, editorial consultant, BBC Wildlife Magazine<\/em><\/p>\n
Water World<\/h3>\n
By Ben Rothery. Published by Penguin Random House Children\u2019s UK.\u00a0Age range: 4 years and above<\/p>\n
Buy now <\/strong>from Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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This is clearly a personal book for author and illustrator Ben Rothery. The introduction and conclusion, a letter to the reader, connect our oceans with human life and play on the strong emotional and physical relationship between ourselves and life under the sea. The letter is a call to arms and a stark reminder of the fragility of oceans, balanced with hope, campaigning and empowerment.<\/p>\n
The illustrations lift the book to another level, being beautifully drawn, striking and capturing some more unusual species, like whale lice and mangrove horseshoe crabs, balancing the spectacular with the more obscure. The text that accompanies them is informative.<\/p>\n
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At times the structure feels a little random; including wolves and tigers alongside mudskippers for example. Overall, this is a great book for kids interested in marine life, offering a solid introduction to the biology of the sea and how people can take action to save it.<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Lucy McRobert<\/a>, nature writer<\/em><\/p>\n
Creature Features: Oceans<\/h3>\n
By Natasha Durley. Published by Big Picture Press.\u00a0Age range: 5 and up<\/p>\n
Buy now <\/strong>from\u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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Fans of Natasha Durley\u2019s previous two Creature Features<\/em> books will be pleased by this marine addition to the series. As before, each page groups together amazing creatures from around the world that all share a common body part or pattern. It\u2019s beautifully illustrated with bold and bright artwork, particularly the spread celebrating the black-and-white species against a fantastically pink background \u2013 sunglasses may be required!<\/p>\n
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Whether you adore dolphins, sharks or whales, or perhaps even the smaller creatures, such as hermit crabs or anemones, there\u2019s something for everyone. It\u2019s a wonderful book to flick through briefly or to pore over in depth \u2013 I seemed to notice something new each time I picked it up!<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Megan Shersby<\/a>, editorial and digital co-ordinator, BBC Wildlife<\/em><\/p>\n
Amazing Islands: 100+ Places that will Boggle Your Mind<\/h3>\n
By Sabrina Weiss, illustrated by Kerry Hynman. Published by What On Earth Books.<\/p>\n
Buy now <\/strong>from Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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The eruption in 2014 of an underwater volcano in the South Pacific gave birth to the island of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha\u2019apai, one of the\u00a0world\u2019s newest islands. And while scientists expected it to be washed away within months, today, it is reported to be home to flowering plants and even\u00a0burrowing owls. In 2018, Hurricane Walaka washed away the whole of Hawaii\u2019s East Island, home to Hawaiian monk seals and green sea turtles.<\/p>\n
As a reminder of the impermanence of everything we take as stable, Amazing Islands<\/em> is aptly named. Beautifully illustrated, this isn\u2019t a natural history so much as a look at islands of every kind \u2013 from the unique wildlife on Madagascar to the culture of island nations. Along the way, we explore the geological wonders and artificial islands.<\/p>\n
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There\u2019s no great depth to any one subject but, as an overview, Amazing Islands<\/em> is more than enough to whet the appetite for discovery.<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Paul McGuinness<\/a>, editor, BBC Wildlife<\/em><\/p>\n
The Sea: Exploring our blue planet<\/h3>\n
By Miranda Krestovnikoff, illustrated by Jill Calder.\u00a0<\/span>Published by Bloomsbury.\u00a0<\/span>Age range: 7-12 years<\/p>\n
Buy now <\/strong>from Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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\u2018It\u2019s\u00a0your\u00a0work, Mummy, why do you want\u00a0me\u00a0to do it?\u2019 My son just turned eight and is getting wise. He took some persuading when I asked him to co-review this colourful compendium. I lured him by suggesting that the author, the naturalist and TV presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff, is part zoologist, part-mermaid.<\/p>\n
The book did the rest. There\u2019s a beautiful balance of words and art \u2013 we loved the variety and authenticity of colours in Jill Calder\u2019s habitat illustrations \u2013 you can almost hear the breeze on the clifftops, inhale the weirdly pleasing stink of saltmarsh, feel sundried salt crusting on your skin.<\/p>\n
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The text is authoritative, accessible and respectful (no \u2018killer sharks\u2019\u00a0or \u2018cute dolphins\u2019). The final spread on ocean plastic is timely but felt a bit of a bolt-on to a book that is otherwise celebratory, with other conservation issues not getting comparable treatment.<\/p>\n
Read our Wildlife Champion interview with Miranda Krestovnikoff<\/a>, where she explains why loves grey seals.<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Amy-Jane Beer<\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0wildlife writer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n
The Sea Book: Meet the marvellous creatures living in our oceans<\/h3>\n
By Charlotte Milner.\u00a0Published by DK.\u00a0Age range: 5-9 years<\/p>\n
Buy now <\/strong>from Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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I suspect Charlotte Milner is a fan of Octonauts<\/span><\/em>. The BBC animated TV series, which has \u2018edutained\u2019 a generation of youngsters on the subject of marine biology, is echoed in both the artwork and text of The Sea Book<\/span><\/em>. I couldn\u2019t help hearing the voice of Shellington, the Octonaut<\/em>\u2019s scientific sea otter, when I read this book.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not a criticism. Like Octonauts<\/span><\/em>, The Sea Book<\/span> <\/em>places the planet\u2019s oceanic zoological wonders in a wider ecology of food webs, ecosystems and planetary processes. Environmental concerns are raised, but without scaring the living daylights out of any children, or their parents. It is a masterful execution of Albert Einstein\u2019s dictum that everything should be made as simple\u00a0as possible, but no simpler.<\/p>\n
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But who cares what I thought? Over to my focus group of two eight-year-old children (at the older end of the target readership): \u201cSome of it is a bit obvious,\u201d said one (well, she did grow up watching Octonauts<\/span><\/em>, after all), \u201cbut most of it is very interesting.\u201d Her favourite fact was that zebra sharks have spots, not stripes. Meanwhile, it kept her brother completely quiet for a whole 18 minutes. As a parent, what more could you ask for?<\/span><\/p>\n
Reviewed by Stuart Blackman<\/a>,<\/span>\u00a0science writer<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n
10 Reasons to Love \u2026\u00a0a Penguin\/Turtle\/Lion\/Bear\/Elephant<\/h3>\n
By Catherine Barr, illustrated by Hanako Clulow.\u00a0Published by Frances Lincoln Publishers.\u00a0Age range: 3-6 years<\/p>\n
Buy now<\/strong> from\u00a0Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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Delightful illustrations in these titles gently entice children into the world of their animal subjects. The concept of this established series is neat: each spread celebrates an enchanting dimension in the life of these charismatic creatures, pairing the artwork with a paragraph or two of succinct text.<\/p>\n
Young readers learn, for instance, that penguins have salty sneezes and burrow into their own poo, and that lions \u2018flip\u2019 porcupines and are partial to catnaps. They\u2019re then primed with relevant ways to \u2018show their love\u2019, from researching green energy to sponsoring a wildlife charity.<\/p>\n
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The text occasionally overgeneralises to the point of inaccuracy (South Africa is hardly \u2018near\u2019 Antarctica), and undue artistic licence is sometimes taken (Ad\u00e9lie penguins have black bills, not red), but these are minor quibbles<\/p>\n
Reviewed by James Lowen<\/a>, wildlife writer<\/em><\/p>\n
The Coral Kingdom<\/h3>\n
By Laura Knowles, illustrated by Jennie Webber.\u00a0Published by Words & Pictures.\u00a0Age range: 5-7 years<\/p>\n
Buy now <\/strong>from Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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This beautifully illustrated book will be pulled off the shelf time and time again, artfully combining rhythmic verse for younger listeners with interesting and accurate content to keep older children engaged. Flipping through the pages is rather like floating over a real reef, with colourful new vistas and different species at every turn.<\/p>\n
The huge cast of both familiar and lesser-known reef characters is introduced on the inside covers, adding a puzzle dimension to the book as you search for the royal blue tang, star coral and cone snail.<\/p>\n
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Though it ends with a strong ecological message about coral bleaching, featuring key facts and the actions we can all take to safeguard the sea, it first and foremost immerses children in the colourful, diverse and fascinating world of the coral reef.<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Sue Ranger, engagement and education manager, Marine Conservation Society<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
The Big Book of the Blue<\/h3>\n
By Yuval Zommer.\u00a0Published by Thames & Hudson.\u00a0Age range: 3-5 years<\/p>\n
Buy now <\/strong>from\u00a0<\/b>Amazon<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>
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In this lively follow-up to Zommer\u2019s previous Big Books of Beasts and Bugs<\/em>, kids are encouraged to think about how sea creatures communicate, swim and eat.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ll learn how anglerfish use dangling lights to lure prey; how the flattened tails of sea snakes power them through the water; and how seahorses grip seaweed with their tails. Minor inaccuracies aside (\u2018humpbacks\u2019 are clearly sperm whales), this is a colourful treat for youngsters.<\/p>\n
Reviewed by Paul Bloomfield<\/a>, freelance writer<\/em><\/p><\/body><\/html>\n
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