Happy book birthday to this adorable lift-the-flap board book by Janet Lawler and James Weston Lewis! My youngest grand is sure to enjoy turning the pages and lifting the flaps to discover hidden sea creatures. She’s a girl after Nana’s heart-she LOVES books. Congratulations Janet, James, and Phaidon Press!
Here’s more from Amazon:
Guess who’s hiding under the sea in this lushly illustrated, rhyming read-aloud guessing game, then lift the sturdy cardboard flaps to meet the ocean ’s most amazing creatures – both familiar and wonderfully weird!
There are six sea creatures hiding in the book: can you guess who’s hiding under the surface?
This playful lift-the-flap book takes toddlers on an underwater adventure, introducing them to the wonderfully weird creatures of the ocean – and shows how their unique features are what make them amazing. On each spread, a hidden sea creature is described with a lively read-aloud rhyme, while peek-through details give extra clues to the animal’s identity. Little hands can lift a satisfying, sturdy flap to reveal who’s hiding under the sea.
The Ocean Calls, A Haenyeo Mermaid Story is the fascinating story of women divers who use the skills passed down from generation to generation to dive and gather the fruits of the sea. Living on Jeju Island in South Korea, the mostly mature and elderly women dive into waters off the island, up to 30 meters deep. They do not use breathing equipment and can hold their breath up to two minutes! I am amazed!
The story focuses on Dayeon, a young girl, and her grandmother, one of the diving mermaids. Grandma is trying to encourage Dayeon and teach her the skills necessary to become a Haenyeo Mermaid. I love the way the young girl struggles with the fear of jumping into the wild ocean, even as she dreams of being able to do what she sees her grandmother doing.
This engaging story is delicious! I loved learning more about a new subject, one I had never heard about before. What an encouraging picture book, one that invites readers to explore a new world with their eyes, ears, and hearts!
Why I Love This Book:
~ The story is wonderful
~ The fascination I felt as I read about Haeynyeo Mermaids
~ The underwater world of women divers
~ The illustrations bursting with color and extra details
~ The setting on and off an island of South Korea
~ The history and the traditions of generations of courageous women
~ Fabulous backmatter
Amazon Blurb:
A breathtaking picture book featuring a Korean girl and her haenyeo (free diving) grandmother about intergenerational bonds, finding courage in the face of fear, and connecting with our natural world.
Dayeon wants to be a haenyeo just like Grandma. The haenyeo dive off the coast of Jeju Island to pluck treasures from the sea–generations of Korean women have done so for centuries. To Dayeon, the haenyeo are as strong and graceful as mermaids. To give her strength, Dayeon eats Grandma’s abalone porridge. She practices holding her breath while they do the dishes. And when Grandma suits up for her next dive, Dayeon grabs her suit, flippers, and goggles. A scary memory of the sea keeps Dayeon clinging to the shore, but with Grandma’s guidance, Dayeon comes to appreciate the ocean’s many gifts.
Tina Cho’s The Ocean Calls, with luminous illustrations by muralist Jess X. Snow, is a classic in the making.
Love, Laughter, and Life 