Just So Stories

                         

Here are four picture books all of which centre on the ocean but with very different purpose, style and execution, each of them truly lovely.  

Beach Song – Ros Moriarty. Illustrated by Samantha Campbell

Allen & Unwin

January 2024

ISBN:9781761180248

Publisher:A&U Children’s

Imprint:A & U Children

RRP: $24.99

Ros Moriarty comments ‘my emotional wellbeing has often been sustained by being at the beach..’ and I wholeheartedly concur. For me, and also for The Kid, the beach – whether our own (generally) calm stretch of Moreton Bay, a five minute walk down our street, or our favourite surf beach, where she rides her waves, almost an hour’s drive up the coast – has always been our happy place. It was our playground when she was Small and her mother was still alive, our refuge that helped soothe our terrible grief, and now our shared time for peace, happiness, and restorative care when we are tired or sad or in need of solace. And when she was still Small exploring the wonders of every beach we visited was always her favourite thing to do.

So it is with many children and this lyrical and oh-so-beautifully descriptive exploration of a beach from the child’s perspective.

A day at the seashore can be full of surprise, wonder and excitement.

Leap through the waves like a dolphin.

Glide through the water like a fish.

Soar along the sand with the seagulls.

What will you do when you go to the beach?

Not only will many children make their own connections with this text but educators will grab hold of the opportunity to explore vivid language, figurative and descriptive expressions and the poetic pattern of the narrative. I could easily plan valuable learning based on this one. It’s a charming book all round, with Samantha Campbell’s the icing on the cake – what a cover! – and would make a wonderful choice for back-to-school while our summer lingers on.

Highly recommended for readers from around 5 upwards. 🐬🐬🐬🐬

All You Can Be – Angela Casabene. Illustrated by Michelle Conn

Affirm Press

December 2023

AUD RRP $19.99

ISBN 9781922863287

On the other hand, this one is far more directed at a specific end point as Angela Casabene, uses the beach and activities there to encourage young readers to:

Be kind. Be strong. Be curious. Be wrong …
Be all you can be.

This small child at the beach finds herself in various situations where she experiences emotions that threaten to overwhelm, indeed almost paralyse her: fear, anger, shyness, loneliness, embarassment, but at each point draws on some inner strength to overcome these negativities.

The beach becomes an extended metaphor for life’s hurdles, whether big or small, and, once again, this would be an ideal text to share at the start of the new school year, when many of your Littles could be feeling trepidation or worry. 

The gentle rhyming text and the highly engaging illustrations (with sensational endpapers!) will completely captivate your readers, and can certainly segue seamlessly into discussion about feelings and how to move past our anxieties in order to enjoy the utmost fulfilment in each situation. Definitely a huge recommendation from me on this one.🐚🐚🐚🐚

The Deep End: real facts about the ocean – Drew Sheneman

Harper Collins Australia

December 2023

• ISBN: 9780063224551
• ISBN 10: 0063224550
• Imprint: HarperCollins US
• RRP: $29.99

Ok, so the nerd in me combined with the love of absurd humour, makes this my favourite of this bunch. Kiddos love non-fiction, particularly when it’s explained with verve and fun, and this one certainly ticks both those boxes.

Join Captain Brownbeard, his sarky parrot Alan and a respected scientist as they explore the ocean, touching on history, creatures and ecology, inventions and environmental threats. I loved the short bursts of fun facts interspersed with the quirkiness, for example, the image and info of the Marianas snailfish withstanding pressure equivalent to 1,600 elephants balanced on its head!

Even your newly independent readers will enjoy this one and be able to read it for themselves, as the informational text is kept to short passages or in speech bubbles, and is, for the most part, quite accessible.

The cartoon-style illustrations are utterly hilarious in themselves and will provide much entertainment for readers. I feel sure they would love to try their hand at drawing some sea creatures in the same style (and I, for one, am going to try that out in a classroom soon). 

It’s also one of those rare hardbacks that not only has an attractive dust jacket but also a funky binding.

All in all, this will make a superb addition to your back to school summer/beach theme and cerainly be valuable in your ocean/ecology unit of inquiry. It’s a big 5 🦜🦜🦜🦜🦜 recommendation from me on this one!!

Voice of the Sea – John Williamson. Illustrated by Alison Innocent & Jonathan Chong

Penguin Australia

February 2024

Imprint: Puffin

ISBN: 9781761344237

RRP: $19.99

A decade ago, when this blog was still in its infancy, I reviewed John’s Christmas in Australia and described the wonderful personal interactions, I had enjoyed with this absolutely delightful human. If you weren’t around then, click on the title link and go read for yourself, because John’s generosity of spirit is as legendary as his balladeering and worth a shout-out.

Once again, he has taken up a cause and is urging us all to support it, and this striking picture book is a terrific way to make it accessible to our Littles. I’ve mentioned before that as we live by the sea here, we have more than one school actively engaged as little Ocean Eco-warriors ,and this will be a great book to take along on relief days to share with these guys. But I would strongly suggest that you put it in your collection, whether personal, classroom or library, and also exhort the kiddos in your space to take action, whether you are near the ocean or far inland.

WE know our oceans are in trouble. And in my neighbourhood, the children also know it. And realistically, I don’t doubt that kiddos all round the country, indeed the world, know it. So this is a splendid opportunity to make some noise about it.

Just check out this gorgeous animated presentation of it. This is destined to become one of John’s best-loved anthems, much as Goodbye Blinky Bill, Rip Rip Woodchip and True Blue as well as many others. What a bloody treasure he is! Our family has always loved him (even before we had the opportunity to meet him) and his music was on constant rotation in our house.

I can’t give this a high enough recommendation. If you get your copy direct from John’s website it will be signed – and that’s pretty cool I have to say! I’m just going to say it – you MUST get it and you MUST share it widely. Thanks for another cracker, John. 🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙 all the way!

And while you’re at it – check out the Australian Marine Conservation Society.