From Shore to Ocean Floor: The Human Journey to the Deep by Gill Arbuthnott, Christopher Nielsen
Published by Big Picture Press on May 2, 2023
ISBN: 1536229741
Pages: 80
Genres: Animals
Format: Picture Book Nonfiction
Goodreads

This unique nonfiction picture book explores many aspects of human knowledge and exploration of the ocean. Infographics, timelines, comics, and maps cover an array of topics such as ocean myths and legends across cultures, marine biologists, shipwrecks, and biodiversity. The topics are varied, but all revolve around how humans increased their understanding of the oceans and what they learned as they explored the ocean depths. The distinct illustration and text style add to the book’s cohesion. The textured hand-drawn illustrations have a retro style and color palette and the use of color and shading reflect the information described in the text. While graphics dominate this book, there is a little narrative text sprinkled throughout. The book includes a short table of contents, but there is no glossary or index. In addition to engaging illustrations, another strength of this book is the diversity of perspectives that are included, such as contributions from ancient civilizations, and male and female modern scientists from all over the world. After showing how amazing and important the oceans are, the book ends with a kid-friendly call to action to help care for the oceans. This book would be a great addition to any elementary or middle school library.

Reviewed by Lindsay Varnum, Orono Public Library