Review by Adelia Ritchie
Books like this one help lead the way to a better climate future for all inhabitants of Mother Earth. We are all in this together! — Jeff Bridges, Academy Award winner and environmentalist.
PLANET OCEAN: Why We All Need A Healthy Ocean, a new Junior Library Guild Selection book, will take you and your kids and grandkids on a deep dive, with author Patricia Newman and photographer Annie Crawley, to visit the Coral Triangle near Indonesia, the Salish Sea in the Pacific Northwest, and the Arctic Ocean at the top of the world.
You can see a video trailer for the book at the book’s web site.
Photo by Annie Crawley
Exploring these three distinct ocean regions shows the unique connections to each other and helps us understand how our lives are interconnected to the other 70% of our planet. Underwater photographer, filmmaker, and ocean advocate, Annie Crawley acts as your guide on this underwater adventure of discovery, with breathtaking photography and eleven QR codes for readers to further explore below the surface.
First stop, the Coral Triangle in the South Pacific. One quarter of all ocean species spend time on coral reefs. These remarkable animals have been the foundation of our world for hundreds of millions of years making human life possible.
Photo by Annie Crawley
In the Salish Sea of the Pacific Northwest we see marine plants and phytoplankton that produce half the world’s oxygen — something they’ve been doing for almost two billion years longer than land-based plants.
Then, readers dive into the Arctic at the top of the world, which drives a global conveyor belt of nutrients to support all other parts of our world. It’s incredible to think fisheries in each of the regions feed millions of people around the globe.
On your journey, you will see scientists working with new technologies, hear inspiring stories of Indigenous peoples tackling changes to their way of life, and meet kids and teens who understand the value of a healthy ocean. The truth is we have only one ocean and it’s the engine of our existence.
Readers also discover how people harm the ocean. Planet Ocean shows the effects of climate change, ocean pollution, and unsustainable fishing practices, and leaves its audience ready to DO something because when we help the ocean, we help ourselves. Planet Ocean is us.
Prepare to be immersed in the amazing undersea world and to be inspired to help protect and preserve our deep connection to what lies below the surface of the water.
