ABOUT THE BOOK
Written by Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Katherine Roy
Ages: 4+ | 32 Pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton | ISBN: 9781324016076
Publisher’s Book Summary: A single piece of seaweed buoys a fascinating ecosystem in this nonfiction picture book from award-winning creators Barb Rosenstock and Katherine Roy.
From bryozoans and snails to shrimps, eels, swordfish, and whales, the Sargasso Sea provides a home to countless types of marine life, thanks to the prevalence of microalgae called sargassum. Following a single blade of this extraordinary seaweed as it grows and spreads, readers see what it provides for the sea’s organisms: a base for hydroids and tube worms to filter and feed, shelter for anemones and nudibranchs and their nutritious waste, hunting grounds for crabs and amphipods, and a source of nourishment and protection for the fish, birds, whales, and reptiles that feed on these smaller creatures.
Through a widening scope on this intricate interdependence, Barb Rosenstock celebrates one of our planet’s most diverse and important ecosystems and the unassuming seaweed that sustains it. Gorgeously illustrated with Katherine Roy’s rich, eye-catching artwork, Sea Without a Shore is as fluid and rhythmic as the currents that shape this tidal home.
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MY REVIEW
Dive into the fascinating world of the Sargasso Sea, a sea without a shore as the title tells us. The narrative begins with a description of the forces that create the sea: five currents, billions of gallons of water, "a blue desert." We see a group playing on the beach creating sandcastles and moats, bringing seaweed to decorate - and then a bit of that seaweed washes away and we follow its journey.
The text is lyrical while also completely factual, a difficult balance to reach. "It lives. Changing sunlight to sugars." "It tumbles. Surfing the waves." Slowly, just as the sargassum itself grows, so does our knowledge of this curious form of algae that floats on the ocean's surface with no roots to hold it down. The author takes us through the various layers of the complex ecology as it builds from tubeworms, to snails, to crabs, to swordfish. "They swim. And never stop - through cloudless calms and shocking storms."
Each turn of the page reveals more rich watercolor tones and a game of hide and seek as the members of the ecosystem look for shelter and food within the spreading seaweed. A few spreads took my breath away, especially the sea turtles gliding around and through the fronds, and a giant whale that stretches from one side of the book to the other.
The book circles back around to the children on the beach, before offering some additional details in the back matter. A map with the location of Bermuda and the Sargasso Sea marked, as well as the ocean currents labeled, is framed with thumbnail images of various creatures we have encountered in the text. There is an afterword by Sylvia Earle and a short paragraph about Dr. Earle's work. A lengthy note from the author describes the research process for the book and there are also photos of a piece of sargassum and the illustrator's hand holding a tiny frogfish. A list of sources is also provided.
If you know young readers who are fascinated by the ocean, or if you are a parent or teacher helping a budding scientist learn about ecosystems and interdependence - this book is a must!
Barb Rosenstock is the author of several children’s books, including The Noisy Paint Box, which received a Caldecott Honor. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.
Katherine Roy is the creator of the Sibert Honor Book Neighborhood Sharks and, most recently, Making More. She lives in Corvallis, Oregon.
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