In his last children’s book, “A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars,” Seth Fishman brought us the wonders of the universe. With his most recent, “The Ocean in Your Bathtub,” he’s back to reveal the science of our oceans, teaching kids that our five oceans “cover 71% of the planet and contain 97% of our water.”
With the help, once again, of illustrator Isabel Greenberg, Fishman takes readers on another fantastic journey that youngsters and adults will love. It weaves facts about oceans with deep jewel-toned illustrations for a watery ride from the sky to the depths of the sea and back. “Even if you are too far from the sea to smell the salt, almost seven out of every 10 gulps of air you take contain oxygen that comes from plant life in the ocean!” Fishman writes.
In addition to explaining the water cycle, plant life and some of the many ways the ocean takes care of us, this book also carries an environmental warning: We must take better care of our oceans.
The author’s note is a fun glossary lesson of sorts, explaining in more detail (that is still easy for adults to explain to young ones) words such as “aquifers” and “phytoplankton,” plus a call to the next generations of changemakers. “Climate change is affecting and will continue to affect the oceans as we know them,” Fishman writes. “Temperatures are warming, waters are rising, and sea life is shifting. We need people like YOU to learn and understand and change with it. Right now, the oceans are protecting you, no matter where you are. Let’s return the favor.”
