THE OCEAN BLUE AND YOU

A dreamy journey through six oceanic habitats.

“Ocean waves gently roll in— / swish / swoosh— / lulling you to sleep.” Modeled on the creators’ The Universe and You (2021), this soothingly cadenced outing leaves “you”—depicted as a brown-skinned child in Coleman’s cozy illustrations—snoozing on a maternal lap beneath a beach umbrella. Meanwhile, beneath the waves, “billions of busy sea creatures” glide through sea grasses and kelp forests, migrate in open waters, lurk in lightless depths, dart over a coral reef, and cling to mossy rocks in a tide pool. Though not in the “billions,” the characteristic sea life in each blue- and turquoise-painted scene is as abundant as it is varied and colorful, ranging from tropical fish and sea turtles to sea stars and strange-looking deep-water denizens. The dream voyage ends back on the beach as the child wakes up and rushes off to discover what has washed up on the sands (“And you’re ready for fun / in the sparkling sun!”). In a short afterword, which includes a sampling of photos, the author offers a broader perspective on our oceans and what we can do to protect them.

Calming and informative.