Published by Little Tiger, 2020.

We love Britta Teckentrup books in our house so we were very happy to get this beautiful picture book about life on the coral reef. Sea is part of a series of books about the natural world. We have previously read and enjoyed Bee and Moon.

The colourful pages are teeming with underwater life: a rainbow of fish in all shapes and sizes, delicate seahorses, and huge humpback whales. Turtles swim through the seaweed, dolphins leap and dive, and a shark casts an ominous shadow. Young readers can enjoy the biodiversity of the coral reef in all its splendour.

We especially like the peep-through pages. There are die-cuts on almost every page allowing you to peek through at the sea creatures beneath. This is a lovely interactive element and makes sharing the book with young children even more fun.

As usual, Britta’s illustrations are stunning. The colours are so striking and there’s texture and depth in every scene. She conveys the fragility and intricacy of the beautiful corals so perfectly. One of my favourite spreads is the night-time page with the bioluminescent jellyfish, electric eels and manta ray.

The gentle rhyming text is perfect for reading aloud and there’s a lovely richness of poetic language too. Children will discover lots about life beneath the waves – from the sounds dolphins make to communicate to the different defence mechanisms used by lionfish, squid and puffer fish. 

Sea also shares an important environmental message, reminding us to care for our oceans by keeping them clean. 

Sea is a picture book that’s perfect for curious minds and for fans of the Octonauts and Finding Nemo.

Rating: 💙💙💙💙💙

Suitable for children aged 2+

Thank you to Little Tiger for sending me this book to review.