IF YOU LIVED IN THE SEA, WHO WOULD YOU BE?

Johnston’s picture book debut delves deep into ocean habitats, depicting the vast and varied array of creatures that make their homes in the water.

Turtles travel miles from their hatching place; sea anemones cling, unbudging, to rocks at low tide. Belugas cruise unseen beneath icebergs; flying fish jump spectacularly from the waters. Orcas swim in packs; octopuses travel alone. Johnston’s compendium of ocean fauna unfolds mostly through juxtaposition, showing disparate subjects in side-by-side, single-page portraits (with occasional double-page spreads, such as the concluding contrast between the human and animal experience of the seaside). Throughout, Johnston employs rhyming couplets with a sureness of meter and a deftness with internal rhymes and alliteration, as in a reference to “a teeny, wee plankton displaying your presence / by lighting the sea with your bright phosphorescence.” Artist Sodano complements the text with gentle, realistic illustrations whose subtle blend of crayons, pencils, and paints mirrors the complexities of the natural world. The overall effect is to showcase an existing sense of wonder, rather than entertain with anthropomorphized characters. To this end, a four-page appendix offers further animal facts, as well as links to ocean conservation organizations.

An accessible and eye-opening introduction to the marvels of marine life.