Wombat Books
February 2026
ISBN: 9781761112706
RRP: $26.99
Aleesah Darlison has a deft hand with writing books about wildlife and, as she is herself passionate about critters of all kinds, shapes and sizes, that comes as no surprise. Little Blue is a nudibranch and if you’ve never heard of them, or seen them or even read about them before, why not check them out because this book is bound to spark much interest with your little people. After all, you will want to be the font of all knowledge for them when they start wanting to know more! There is a plethora of information about these little guys across many platforms and a few are included below.
These super-colourful shell-less sea slugs are often referred to as ‘sparkly sea cupcakes’ which is a pretty cute description and with over 3000 varieties with an emphasis on varieties – such a range of colours, shapes and features, it’s pretty appropriate.
Aleesah has captured the essence of these tiny aquatic delights along with their strengths, the dangers that confront them and their superpowers. There is a lovely flow to the narrative that completely evokes these little guys floating their way through their lives and, as usual, Tamlyn Teow skilfully captures the very essence of the content with her cartoon depictions of such a variety of marine life with their many expressions and poses.
There was one small detail that bothered me a little and that was that some of the vocabulary used would be quite tricky for the (presumed) intended audience, if they were to be reading independently. This, of course, is always a difficult balance to manage when using subject specific terminology but perhaps a pronunciation expansion or even a short glossary might have helped with this.
However, as a read-aloud, with the potential for discussion to follow this point would be inconsequential. Apart from the fascinating subject matter, this is such a pretty book – the colours used in Tamlyn’s illustrations are just perfect. And there is no doubt that animals of all kinds are always such a great source of interest for children, so this would be a very welcome addition to any shelves.
Kids National Geographic: Nudibranches
Kiddle: Nudibranch Facts for Kids
Kids Discovery Time: Fascinating and Colourful sea slugs
Austin Parks and Recreation: Wild Wednesday – Nudibranches
Just So Stories 
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