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Laura Knowles creates a really interesting range of informational picture books and I've never understood why her titles aren't more widely available - possibly because she often publishes through small presses perhaps. Anyways, it's always a surprise to see what she's created, but sometimes I don't want to risk it when my budget is small so I purchased this title personally through Amazon, with the intention of donating it to the library if it turned out to be something my patrons would like.
You can read this in multiple ways. If you start turning the thin cardboard pages like a traditional book, you will join three children in a yellow submarine exploring the bed of the ocean. They start in a reef, go past a pod of orcas in the ocean, then down into the dark by a hydrothermal vent and back up to the surface, where an unfortunate turtle is hunting jellyfish - and plastic bags. The last page gives some details and facts about submarines.
You can then turn the pages to go through the book "backwards" and learn about the history and different types of submarines, ocean creatures like jellyfish, coral, and anglerfish, and more general ocean facts like the zones and issues of plastic pollution.
The book can also be folded out into one long, continuous narrative. The information on the "back" of the pages matches the journey of the submarine on the "front" of the pages. The pictures are simple, but bright and colorful and the progression is easy to follow, with the informational text divided into short sections.
Verdict: This isn't a typical picture book and the paper over board binding and continuous fold-out will make it unlikely to last on a library shelf. However, it would make a great gift for a child who loves ocean science and a perfect accompaniment for a storytime or STEAM kit, which will be where I'll use it in our library.
ISBN: 9781913519216; Published July 2021 by Welbeck; Purchased via Amazon and donated to the library
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