children's & YA recommendations on the go
Molly and her dad rescue three people in trouble from a small boat off the coast. Though they speak different languages, the new arrivals quickly make friends with the islanders, who offer them somewhere to stay and some clothes and food. Just a few weeks later, a new challenge threatens this relationship, but will Molly and the islanders be able to help their new friends?
Andrew Whitson draws a scene from a previous title in this picture book series:
Setsuko loves the sea. She swims its shallows. She dives its depths. But she worries that her friends have chosen to abandon her way of life. Then she meets a whale who also fears he is the last of his kind. In return for giving him hope, he gifts her a song which she uses to remind people of the beauty of the ocean. Setsuko took the song and made it her own. They played together from the first crisp light of morning until the setting of the evening sun. Everyone who heard Setsuko’s song was filled with the wonder of the sea. They remembered the beauty and mystery of the ocean. A story of an unlikely friendship, Setsuko and her friend the whale have one thing in common – their love of the sea. Much like the revered ama-san, – women who have been diving off the coast of the Shima peninsula in Japan for over 2,000 years – Setsuko is a strong girl who is on the path to becoming one of these real-life mermaids.
10% of the net profits from each book will be donated to the Marine Conservation Society, the UK charity working for seas full of life.
Howard Grey is a dolphin geneticist and children’s illustrator.
Follow him on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hgray_illustrator/
“A sumptuously illustrated, powerful poem with a repeated refrain (“he opens a tunnel / of bubbles and light and / swim, Shark, SWIM!”). It circumnavigates the globe, brushing fins with various shark species and conveying the dangerous beauty of their lives.” Imogen Russell Williams GUARDIAN
Swim around the world with Shark as he explores ocean forests and coastal reefs, meeting Hammerheads and Great Whites, stingrays and dolphins in a search for the place he calls home. This is the second book in the Wild Wanderers series written by Dom Conlon and illustrated by Anastasia Izlesou. Some of the species covered include: Blacktip reef shark, Tiger shark, Humpback whale, Bottlenose dolphin, Great white shark and many more.
Where land becomes sky and the sky becomes sea,
I first saw the whale, and the whale first saw me.
And high on the breeze came his sweet-sounding song
I’ve so much to show you, if you’ll come along.
Come on a magical journey of wonder and discovery from misty seaside shorelines to cold ice capped seas. This beautiful tale of friendship between a child and a whale invites us to consider our responsibilities towards the environment and makes a direct plea to end plastic pollution.
Follow the illustrator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/padmacandrameek/
A series now on its third title.
Jack is very excited when he learns that this year’s school trip is a visit to the seaside to hunt for fossils. And even better – there’s going to be a prize for the best find, which is he desperate to win! Unfortunately, his best friend Picklewitch is not impressed, until she discovers the local Sea Wizard, whose secret lair is hiding the biggest treasure of all . . .
Richly illustrated throughout. Great for those ready to move on to full-length fiction.
Follow the illustrator on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teemujuhani/
Great world-building in this fourth explorers adventure where we meet Ursula, a part mermaid girl who is determined to follow in Stella’s footsteps and help her to defeat the Collector!
Ursula knew the submarine wasn’t designed to go this deep, but what choice did they have? No one wanted to get swallowed up by a colossal sneezing jellyfish! In a distant watery corner of the Explorers Kingdom, a submarine engineer, Ursula, is determined to become an explorer. Unfortunately, she hides an extraordinary secret, which makes her the sworn enemy of the Ocean Squid Explorers’ Club were they ever to find out . . . But when The Collector threatens the Club, Ursula throws caution to the wind and leads an expedition through treacherous waters, filled with gremlins, aboard the Blowfish submarine – and joined by her friends Max, Genie and Jai – and even her idol Stella! Thrilling, heart-pounding adventure with exquisite detail throughout.
Previous titles in the series:
Explorers On Witch Mountain
Explorers On Black Ice Ridge
The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club
I love to watch the movement of light on water, and I love to play in rivers and lakes, swimming or canoeing. I am fascinated by people who work with water, fishermen, boatmen, and by a way of life that is dominated by water. Water is often a major character in my novels (Daughter of the Sea, The Company of Ghosts, The Sailing Ship Tree, Deep Secret).
Berlie Doherty picks 10 children’s books in which water features prominently, with Tim Bowler’s River Boy at the head of the list.
http://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/sep/04/berlie-doherty-top-10-watery-tales
Very disappointed to have missed last night’s the preview party (aboard the Golden Hinde) for this jointly created book by Philip Reeve and Sarah McIntyre, out in September.
