Through the Darkening Sea

May18

Through the Darkening Sea

Claire Saxby

Peter Cheong

HarperCollins, 2026

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781460766743

Out in the open ocean where currents sway wild as wind,
where sharks and sea lions widely roam,
a whale falls.

Down, down, down it slips through the waters where no sunlight can ever penetrate and strange creatures dwell, some generating their own light in the blackness until it finally reaches the bottom. But even though its life is over, it is not the end of the life it gives….

Put Claire Saxby’s name on the cover of a book and you know you are in for a feast of learning about something new and different through her ability to tell a real-life story through lyrical language that brings the subject to life – even when it is dead, as the whale is in this new release. Accompanied by striking illustrations that capture creatures that most of us will never see, this is a story that introduces young readers to the concept of life cycles in a way that the oh-so-familiar diagrams of frogs and butterflies never can, not least because it focuses on the death of the whale rather than its life. And while that is not usually a topic of young readers’ storybooks, Saxby’s carefully selected language and sensitive use of it makes this an uplifting story of hope and rebirth, rather than one of a depressing and sad death, as the whale becomes foods for those on the seafloor beginning a whole new chapter of life.

Yet for all the beauty in Saxby’s storytelling, there is a lot of research and science to be explored and explained in the limited word count of a storybook, and while this particular one appears to be about the whale’s contribution to ocean life even after it has died, it was actually sparked by her fascination with how animals change colour as the ocean gets deeper, and where her investigations in to phenomenon took her. So its purpose is more about that than just the whale itself – the whale just becoming a feasible “viewpoint character” that can witness and experience those changes, which may take up to 100 years to evolve. She explains all that went into the story’s creation in this video which also gives an insight into how much goes into creating such a story, in itself offering guidance for aspiring authors.

As well as Saxby’s words though, it is the marriage of those with Cheong’s illustrations that make this so memorable. In an interview about another of his works, Where We can Hear the Giants Sing, he says, “I used Adobe Photoshop to draw and color almost everything in the book. And I used scanned traditional paints and markers on canvas or paper (either made myself or found copyright free online), to create textures. I overlay these textures in the illustrations to give that nice painterly feel. These textures also provide accidental color variations throughout the illustration, which I quite like.” He also said of that book, “The most difficult thing for me was ‘finishing’ the final illustrations. I would work at them for weeks and weeks but they never felt ‘finished’ and I was never satisfied with how they looked. It wasn’t until I drew in the white line work of fish, over the top of everything else, swimming throughout the illustrations, that they finally felt right. They were the final missing thing I needed to tie in the illustrations.” And, in this new one, he certainly has perfected the technique because, as well as being mysterious, those creatures the whale passes on its journey have an ephemeral quality that emphasises all that we don’t know about them, including the impact of the lack of light, while still capturing Saxby’s intention of connecting the waves lapping over the child’s feet at the beach with what is happening in the much deeper waters offshore. His illustrative journey is also told in the video.

Whether this is shared with children because they are curious and wondrous about whales, particularly as the Humpback Highway along the Australian coast gathers momentum, or as the story of what happens when a whale dies, or the science of light changing, or of the interconnectedness and interdependence of that continually moving mass of water and its inhabitants, this is one for all ages and stages that, as a former scuba diver, I just love. Watch for it in awards lists!

How Deep is the Sea?

May12

How Deep is the Sea?

How Deep is the Sea?

Katie Daynes

Hannah Abbo

Usborne, 2026

12pp., board book., RRP $A19.99

9781835408612

Way back when, when I was teaching a new cohort of Kindy kids, they were fascinated by the fact that I spent my weekends scuba diving, and even moreso when I took my gear in for the teachers’ show-and-share day that we held each month to help them know us better and remove some of the mystique including that we lived, worked and slept at school 24/7.

I recall being peppered with questions like How deep is the sea? What do you see under the waves? Is it cold? Is it dark? How do you breathe? Have you ever seen a shark? Why do you do that? And even, “Can I come too?” Even though we were in the nation’s capital and the nearest beach was two hours away, they were already intrigued by what was going on under the water that most had read about and many had even put their feet in on family holidays.

How well I could have used this little book then! Because the questions that the children asked then are still being asked now, and some are even answered in this lift-the-flap format book. As one of the Very First Questions and Answers series, it offers enough information to satisfy the child’s curiosity without overwhelming them with detail, while lifting the flap to find out the answers to the key question more keeps them engaged.

A peek inside…

One of the questions that would have captured the imagination of those long-ago Kindy kids would have been, “Who can dive the deepest?” While they may have been surprised that it was not their intrepid teacher because the optimal depth for recreational scuba divers is 40 metres, they learn that there are birds and other creatures who can go much deeper than that on their own and there are specialist submersible craft that can and have gone down almost 11 kilometres, maybe sparking more questions like why can the Cuvier’s beaked whale dive to three kilometres without needing specialist gear? Which, in turn, could lead to exploring other books and resources that extend not just their knowledge of the world around them but the power of books like these for finding answers to their questions. Powerful stuff.

Protecting the Planet: Creatures of the Coral Reef

Apr22

Protecting the Planet: Creatures of the Coral Reef

Protecting the Planet: Creatures of the Coral Reef

Martin Jenkins

Jason Cockcroft

Walker Books, 2026

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

9781529516289

Imagine you’re a butterflyfish. Where do you live? It’s a place that’s warm all year round, not too deep and full of life: it’s a coral reef!

If you live or visit Australia’s coast, one of the longest in the world, chances are it is protected by a reef whether it’s the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system, the Great Southern Reef a fringe of interconnected underwater systems that span 8000km from the NSW/Queensland border, around Tasmania and its islands, along our great southern coastline and up to Kalbarri in Western Australia., Ningaloo on the north-western coastline or any of the other systems that dot the shoreline and encircle the continent.

While each has its own ecosystem perhaps it is the colourful inhabitants of the coral reefs that first spring to mind, and in the new addition to the Protecting the Planet series which includes Ice Journey of the Polar Bear, The Season of Giraffes, Emperor of the Ice, and The Secret World of Seahorses, young readers are introduced to how such reefs are formed, the creatures that are dependent on their survival and how they are dealing with the challenges of climate change and other factors that threaten their survival. They learn about the amazing biodiversity of the reef and the interdependence of each species, as well as how vulnerable each is and what even an individual can do to help it survive and thrive.

Protecting the Planet: Creatures of the Coral Reef is one of a list that Publishers Weekly have put together a list of children’s picture books that encourage children to explore the world around them and consider how to care for it to acknowledge Earth Day today, and although most on that list are US publications, Australian authors, illustrators and publishers have produced a plethora of books on this theme, including those about the reefs that surround Australia, it could be an opportunity for STUDENTS to search the shelves for stories that reflect their personal interest in the environment to create a library display, Apart from enhancing their skills at using the OPAC, if they are also required to read the book and write a synopsis of its central message so others can make informed choices about borrowing it then there is purpose for both the display and their reading.

On this blog alone there are over 450 titles with the Environment and Sustainability tag so there are plenty for even our youngest readers to begin to explore and think about what they can do to make a difference. Perhaps a class might even adopt a particular project giving the whole task even greater context and purpose.

In the Kelp Forest

Apr15

In the Kelp Forest

In the Kelp Forest

Aunty Patsy Cameron & Reena Balding

Belinda Casey

Magabala Books, 2026

32pp., hbk., RRP $A27.99

9781922864345

Beneath the endless waves that sweep the Tasmanian coastline, Myerlee, the giant kelp, sways , her forests giving life and sustenance to creatures that make her their home. Whether it is Payenratters drifting like blades of kelp themselves, Warreners searching for algae as they creep along, Paragannas holding as fast to the rocks as Myerlee herself, or any of the myriad of other creatures that live among her ever-moving blades swirling with the rhythm of the tides, the great kelp forests of the Great Southern Reef play a vital role in the health and wealth of the oceans, and this new book not only introduces young readers to the abundance but celebrates the life-giver, itself.

For many, kelp is just that thick, brown, leathery seaweed found swept up on beaches after a storm, but for First Nations peoples, particularly those of the Tasmanian regions, it is as much a part of their history and heritage as the features of the landscape and just as critical. Yet, scientists estimate that there has been a 95% decline in Tasmania’s East coast giant kelp since the 1940s because of the increase in water temperature that not only pushes it beyond its thermal tolerance but allows the introduction of destructive species like sea urchins as well as enabling the East Australian Current to push further south, displacing the nutrient-rich waters that have fed and nourished the forests in the past.

So, while young readers learn about Myerlee and her inhabitants using words from two traditional languages, Oyster Bay and Coastal Plains, and what happens to them when a storm wreaks its havoc, others might be inspired to learn more about this fringe of interconnected underwater systems that span 8000km from the NSW/Queensland border, around Tasmania and its islands, along our great southern coastline and up to Kalbarri in Western Australia and how it plays such an important part in the lives of those of us who live in southern Australia.

Watercolour images that reflect the ebb and flow of the water itself bring the kelp and its inhabitants to life, encouraging readers to connect those unfamiliar words to their representations, garnering an appreciation for the diversity of life as well as its interconnectedness and importance so that when they see those familiar tough, weather-beaten tangles on the beach – smooth and supple when wet and delicious when roasted on hot coals; hard and shaped into Moirunah and carry precious water when dried – they can ponder the journey it has been on and the devastation its absence has caused.

A peek inside…

Another outstanding book to help readers of all ages better understand and appreciate what our First Nations peoples have known for millennia, and perhaps protect it better.

Sharks Up Close

Apr14

Sharks Up Close

Sharks Up Close

Aidan Green

Wild Dog Books, 2026

32pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781742037264

It’s a piece of music that has sent shivers down the spine of many for decades…

And, after a summer of an unusually high number of sightings off the NSW coast, including four attacks in 48 hours, forcing beach closures and some trepidation amongst swimmers, sharks have made more than their share of headlines over the last few months. While some attribute this to a “perfect storm” of conditions, and others to the large expansion in drone surveillance of the coastline, nevertheless the safety messages have been abundant and awareness raised.

Yet these creatures that have been around for more than 400 million years, outlived the dinosaurs and survived five mass extinctions, some species are now at risk due to overfishing, with some protected in Australian waters including the grey nurse, the great white, whale shark, green sawfish, dwarf sawfish, shortfin mako, porbeagle, scalloped/great hammerheads, and school shark. So this book, part of the Close Up series being re-released in new livery, is timely because as bull sharks are migrating north along Australia’s east coast, particularly during April as they move toward warmer, tropical waters in Queensland for winter, so too are more southern-dwelling species like the great white.

Illustrated with many photographs that enable the reader to see and understand the information in the accompanying text, and written for the younger independent reader, it begins with some general information about these apex predators whose name is thought to come from the Dutch word schurk meaning “villain” or “scoundrel” and who are seen as “totems, ancestors and even gods and symbols of law and order among First Nations coastal groups,

There is a glossary inviting students to explore and develop their vocabulary, and in conjunction with books like Saving Shark Pup,, What’s That? Australian Sharks, Rays & Skates and others in the 597.3 section of the collection discover more about these magnificent creatures so they can be treated with respect rather than fear, as their importance to the balance and sustainability of the world’s ecosystems is understood and valued.

What’s That? Australian Sharks, Rays & Skates

Mar25

What’s That? Australian Sharks, Rays & Skates

What’s That? Australian Sharks, Rays & Skates

Myke Mollard

Woodslane Press, 2026

40pp., hbk., RRP $A24.99

9781923350151

Most little people can tell you what a shark is, but do they know that rays are something other than beams of sunlight, or that skates are more than something you put on your feet?

In this new release from the magical Myke Mollard who has dedicated his life to providing answers to the questions that our littlies have about Australia’s wildlife, he shows and shares his knowledge about these marine creatures in a way that young readers can understand.

Starting by explaining that there are two groups of fish in our oceans – cartilaginous ones including sharks, rays and skates which have muscular, flexible skeletons ,and bony fish whose skeletons are hard and more rigid – he then briefly explains the differences between the three focus groups before moving on to examine various members of each in greater detail.

So while we might know about bull sharks and great whites, we learn there are also ghost sharks, frilled sharks, zebra sharks and even goblin sharks! Indeed there are 500 different shark species, 182 in Australian waters and over 70 that are exclusively so. Similarly, while we may be familiar with the magnificent manta ray and the smaller deadly stingray (distinguishable from skates by the venomous barbs that trail behind them) there are many other species that swim near our shores, and then there are the skates…

With his lifelike illustrations, accessible format and text that gives enough information to satisfy the reader’s interest and perhaps whet the appetite to find out more, Mollard has again raised awareness of yet more of Australia’s special and unique fauna and their importance in maintaining a balanced marine ecology because you can’t protect what you don’t know.

A peek inside…

And to continue the theme, in June we will be treated to What’s That? Australian Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises which may well become my favourite.

Blue: Dragon of the Sea

Feb11

Blue: Dragon of the Sea

Blue: Dragon of the Sea

Aleesah Darlison

Tamlyn Teow

Wombat Books, 2026

32pp., hbk., RRP $A26.99

9781761112706

Despite its title, this is NOT the story of a winged, fire-breathing dragon who has fallen into the sea and found a home there. Rather it is the story of another of the almost-unknown creatures that live beneath the surface of the sea. With a name pronounced “nudi-brank” and meaning “naked gills”, nudibranchs are probably as far removed from those mythical flying creatures as you can get because they are commonly called sea slugs, come in all shapes, colours and sizes, and there are over 3000 different types.

Blue, in particular, is a blue glaucus or Glaucus atlanticus and between Darlison’s lyrical text that flows just as Blue does, and Teow’s imaginative, colourful illustrations, young readers with a fascination for what’s under the waves can learn about these little creatures that don’t have brains but do have a special trick for keeping themselves safe.

But as well as being “tiny ballerinas of the sea”, with their rapid life cycles, are especially sensitive to changes in their environment, making them invaluable indicators of broader marine ecosystem shifts, particularly those induced by human activities and climate change and so there is a citizen science project for those with a deeper interest to become involved in, particularly those with access to the Great Southern reef from Kalbari in Western Australia, around southern Australia, to Caloundra in south-east Queensland.

If ever there were a need to maintain a robust non fiction print collection, particularly for younger readers, then this is the sort of book that is a role model. How many adults have heard of these tiny little creatures, let alone children? (As a former scuba diver, I had but…) So when you don’t know what you don’t know, how do you know to look for them online? Serendipitous discoveries of books like these with their intriguing covers and titles, enticing illustrations and accessible texts as young readers browse displays or the manageable collection of print resources (as opposed to a zillion unsorted websites) can spark a thirst to know more and perhaps establish a dream for the future.

Whether it’s punk turtles, endangered rainbow birds, bouncing woylies, captivating capybaras, or any of the other fascinating species that Darlison has woven stories around to encourage young readers to celebrate the natural world with her and to better understand the interdependence of the ecosystems and the threats they face, each story offers something new to investigate as the often-unseen world is brought into focus. And awareness is the first step in appreciation and ultimately, conservation.

Tilly’s New Adventure

Nov20

Tilly’s New Adventure

Tilly’s New Adventure

Rhonda N. Garward

Little Steps, 2025

32pp., pbk., RRP $A16.99

978-1-923306-33-2

On a still, moonlit night over 10 years ago, a mother turtle laid her eggs in the sand of a Queensland beach and eight weeks later, Tilly emerged and managed to avoid all the onshore and offshore hazards of being a baby green turtle making its way to the sea and growing up. During her time out in the open ocean she ate jellyfish and small fish, but now she is a teenager it’s time for her to return to the reef to seek out seagrass that she needs so she can become bigger and stronger, so that when she is about 30 years old she can return to that beach where she hatched to lay her own eggs, perhaps even living to be 100!

It’s a long journey back to the seagrass fields and there are many ocean friends to guide her on her way, but even though she is so much bigger and more mature than that little baby that waddled down to the water, there are still hazards and dangers to avoid, like abandoned fishing nets. And when she gets tangled in one, cannot swim and is washed ashore, it looks like getting to the seagrass is not going to happen, let alone being mature enough to lay her eggs or live to 100! Until…

Like its predecessor, this new release is beautifully illustrated with all the creatures and colours of the reef faithfully portrayed, made even better by each page having a flap that lifts out to show even more! A final double page spread identifies those featured in the book so budding marine biologists can investigate further, while there are thumbnail sketches of those that Tilly specifically encountered on her return to the reef. There is also information about green turtles, the Great Barrier Reef, seagrass as well as what the reader can do to help minimise the dangers to the turtles.

A peek inside…

Even if young readers haven’t met Tilly as a baby, this will still fascinate them and perhaps even encourage them to want to learn more about what lives beneath the waves, and what we as humans can do (or not do) to protect them.

Flute: A Dolphin’s Wild Journey Home

Nov13

Flute: A Dolphin’s Wild Journey Home

Flute: A Dolphin’s Wild Journey Home

Kasey Whitelaw

Jenni Goodman

Wombat Books, 2025

32pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9781761112294

On Australia’s west coast in a sheltered cove called Monkey Mia, Flute the baby bottlenose dolphin, lives a carefree life playing with her friends, but always wary of the dangers around her – after all, Monkey Mia is part of a larger region called Shark Bay – and always ready to respond to her mother, Piccolo’s whistle and seek safety in the middle of her party. That is, until the day a noisy boat motor rips through the ocean, and curious Flute, drawn to this new sound, is not only separated from the others but is lost and confused. Will she find her way home safely, or will she fall victim to the many dangers that lie in wait for a baby dolphin alone…?

Based on true events which are explained in the final pages of this beautifully illustrated book, young readers are introduced to all sorts of marine life that lives beneath the seemingly tranquil waves of this world-famous sanctuary, as well as those that call its shores home, as they will Fluke on to find her mother and safety, particularly when a tiger shark comes looking for an easy feed. Each of the creatures is then identified in vignettes on the endpapers so young nature lovers not only appreciate the biodiversity of this small area of coast but can investigate those that catch their eye.

In a Q & A with the author, herself a marine biologist who worked with Flute and her family for seven years, giving the book real authenticity, says, her aim was “to create a narrative that would ignite empathy and inspire readers to step back, observe, and get curious about the lives of all dolphins” and this is certainly going to do that because it is books like these, that combine real life with storytelling creating an engaging narrative that leave young readers to not only be more aware of their natural world around them but actively protect it.

An A-Z of Ocean Creatures

Nov6

An A-Z of Ocean Creatures

An A-Z of Ocean Creatures

Myke Mollard

Woodslane Press, 2025

48pp., hbk., RRP $A29.99

9781923350038

If you look at a globe of our planet, it looks like there is more land than ocean, when, in fact, over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by seas and oceans and from space it looks like a big “blue marble.” However, if you view it through “a whale’s eye view” offered by the Spilhaus Projection with Antarctica at its centre and which takes up this book’s endpapers, it is clear that these oceans and seas are interconnected, forming just one mass of water.

The Spilhaus Projection- Seattle Aquarium

Within that, are an estimated 2.2 million marine species, with only about 242,000 to 243,000 described so far., and if those over 600 – including majestic sharks and colourful fish and corals to fascinating molluscs like octopuses and nudibranchs, as well as crustaceans, reptiles, birds and the awe-inspiring whales and dolphins – are showcased in this new release from Myke Mollard and Woodslane Press. With his characteristic, vibrant illustrative style, Mollard has selected and sorted these creatures by alphabetical order, depicting them with anatomical accuracy on large, double-page spreads, and then meticulously identifying each in vignettes in the closing pages so young readers can dip and delve and discover more if they choose.

A peek inside…

Search this blog for “Mollard” and you will discover many more of the remarkable works of this man who is driven by his passion for connecting kids to Nature, and you will realise that, as with its predecessors, this one truly hits that mark. And although many of those species that are featured in this book may not be those children are likely to encounter on their beach holiday, nevertheless there are some just waiting to be discovered, identified and serve as inspiration to know more. This takes Finding Nemo to a whole new level of exploration – especially through the 591.77 section of the collection. .

The Bottom Shelf

Great books for little people

Archives

Through the Darkening Sea

How Deep is the Sea?

Protecting the Planet: Creatures of the Coral Reef

In the Kelp Forest

Sharks Up Close

What’s That? Australian Sharks, Rays & Skates

Blue: Dragon of the Sea

Tilly’s New Adventure

Flute: A Dolphin’s Wild Journey Home

An A-Z of Ocean Creatures

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