HOW THE SEA CAME TO BE... Mindblowing Nonfiction!

 

EERDMANS Books For young Readers, 2023

In many sources, "rules" are glibly stated about what does or doesn't work in writing picture books.HOW THE SEA CAME TO BE: And All the Creatures In It, written by Jennifer Berne and illustrated by Amanda Hall, is a glorious example of effective exceptions to those rules.

To what "rules" do I  refer? 

Well, though not inscribed in stone tablets, it is often said that:

1) Engaging characters are required to connect with young audiences.

2) Long spans of time will lose interest-  make the action immediate, with an easy to understand beginning, middle, and end.

3) Avoid rhyme! If there is a way to write in prose, do that instead, since rhyme is so challenging, and POOR rhyme will kill your chances.

4)When it comes to early earth history, dinosaurs appeal, maybe pterodactyls, but otherwise stick to fossils. Just maybe, some VERY specific, appealing extinct creature might appeal. If you are lucky.

I could go on, but I won't. This recent nonfiction picture book, spanning billions of years of transformation and evolution on planet Earth, does so using three sections. These transport readers from the earliest eras of swirling fiery fury through to a family strolling on a beach. Part one is the making of the seas, involving heating, cooling, evaporation, rainfall, and the eventual watery surface our entire planet. Part two reveals, within a few page turns, the shifts from pairs of cells to strings to complex building blocks of life: shelled, wiggling, tubular, wormy, faceted life. Part three, "All that the sea came to be", continues on, carrying readers through the transformations and developments of diverse sea life as we know it today.

Whew! Not a single creature starred in those processes, and I can think of no longer time span to depict. In fact, that unimaginable span is fully mind-blowing for this well-read adult. It's a good thing that young minds have greater plasticity and willingness to wonder in awe. All the action is underwater until the final spread on the beach, meaning NONE of it is part of any child's natural life experience. Wow, risky. 

And then there's the rhyme... WHAT?!?! Doesn't the above present enough of a challenge without trying to tell it in rhyme? Most might have assumed that to be true, but this author knew what she was doing. With one or two four-line stanzas on each densely illustrated page, science content is presented in perfect read-aloud rhyme that enhances reporting of the dynamic action, swirling settings, and swirling colorful creatures. Last lines and repeating refrains are especially kid-friendly to retain focus on the big-picture concepts:

"And life grew, and life changed, and life grew.

and

"And that was how life began in the sea."

After several readings I also recognized the brilliance of saving tech-y content for back matter, since the "scienc-y words" do not disrupt any of the rhyming lines. Even things like amino acids or cells or other rhyme-able words were avoided in favor of big concept, big process, big picture descriptions. And it works! The colorful, oversized images and lyrical rhythms and rhymes make this a potential favorite for the very young as well as for school age kids.

If you are getting the impression that this "rule-breaking" picture book achieves a win, you're agreeing with me. But wait... there's more! The back matter is equally impressive, with a full page note from the author and another from the illustrator, both of whom contribute accuracy and appeal in this fact-packed beauty. Back matter also includes glossary, key terms and concepts, resources (online and real world), and bibliography, which wrap around double gate-fold pages that offer a clarified timeline of development, unfolding to a double-wide simulation of our planet's eleven eons from original swirling heat to current times. 

This may not adhere to  a "story book" rules, (which it not intended to be), but captures the story of our planet's history in a gorgeous and readable, glossy, appealing nonfiction picture book. That's saying a lot. I'll just add, please get a copy and see (sea) for yourselves!