The ocean is a source of amazement every day, every season — but the summer is when so many of us have our first encounters with saltwater, waves and the incredible array of life in it. Whether the young people in your world are sea life fanatics or are just dipping their toes into the wonders of water, these books are excellent introductions to diving, art, conservation and ocean creatures.
Soak up some new knowledge (without getting your fingers all pruny) with these four gloriously illustrated picture books.
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“Dive! The Story of Breathing Underwater” by Chris Gall. (Ages 5-8. Roaring Brook Press. $19.99.)
Author-illustrator Chris Gall starts deep in the past, when traveling under the water was all about how long people could hold their breath.
“What’s down there? There is only one way to find out,” he writes — and begins his chronicle of how human ingenuity has allowed deeper and deeper dives. Among the fascinating episodes he diagrams and describes are the first diving bells, how underwater work on bridges caused early encounters with decompression sickness, and the invention of the bathysphere by amateur divers with dreams of the deep.
In this densely illustrated history, Gall makes the science understandable but also captures the wonder of exploring the planet’s last great frontier.
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“Else B. In the Sea” by Jeanne Walker Harvey, illustrated by Melodie Stacey. (Ages 5-7. Cameron Kids. $19.99.)
This portrait of an artist who painted stunning pictures of the newly discovered astonishments of the deep sea in the 1930s opens a window into a little-known chapter in the history of ocean exploration.
“Else B.” is Else Bostelmann, who was born and educated in Germany, emigrated to America, and for decades set aside her dreams of being an artist — but was then hired by the scientist William Beebe to document his momentous bathysphere expeditions in the Bahamas. Already in her 50s, Else B. embraced the challenge, experimenting with painting underwater and capturing the colors of the undersea world, and using Beebe’s notes and specimens to create watercolor sketches, charcoal drawings, and oil paintings of “bizarre fish, with their own built-in lights, like alien creatures.”
The book is filled with elegant watercolor, pencil and ink illustrations that bring the endeavor to life — and, delightfully, an author’s note that includes reproductions of some of Else B.’s remarkable paintings.
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“Aqua Boy” by Ken Wilson-Max. (Ages 4-8. Candlewick Press. $17.99.)
Aaron adores the beach, just like the rest of his family, who not only swim and explore but also clean up their beloved piece of nature. He has one problem: He’s afraid to put his head under the water.
“One day, I’m going to swim with the dolphins and whales,” he vows. But it’s not until a storm strands an octopus on the shore that he makes the leap.
“He kept looking at the octopus, and the octopus looked back at him,” as Aaron’s father gently helps the creature back into the water, and Aaron, entranced, puts on his goggles and follows its return to a watery home.
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“The Den That Octopus Built” by Randi Sonenshine, illustrated by Anne Hunter. (Ages 4-8. Candlewick Press. $18.99.)
This poetic introduction to the life cycle of an octopus embraces the crafty creature’s many skills, from clever hunting to stealthy camouflage, and its surprising weapons.
“This is the stream of blinding black ink/ she shoots at the seal, then she’s gone in a blink,/ back to the den that Octopus built.”
As sprightly as the rhyme is — following the pattern of “This Is the House That Jack Built” — it doesn’t shy away from the end of the story, as the octopus protects a den full of eggs, then dies after her offspring hatch and float away. In-depth notes at the end (appealingly titled “Arm Yourself with Octo-Knowledge”) add more information about this amazing animal.
Caroline Luzzatto has taught preschool and fourth grade. Reach her at luzzatto.bookworms@gmail.com
