Constellation of The Deep

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A stylish picture book about an underwater quest for an elusive, bioluminescent plant perfect for young conservationists and fans of Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

Fox loves nature, and enjoys discovering strange and fascinating plants. He especially loves the seaside, and often walks the salty coastal trails with his cousin Wolf. One day, Seagull tells the two about an especially interesting underwater plant called the constellation of the deep. According to Seagull, it grows on the bottom of the ocean, but no one knows exactly where, and it glows in the dark. Before long, Fox has donned his diving equipment, including a wet suit, a snorkel, a diving mask, fins and more, and sets off on an underwater quest to find this incredible plant. Along the way, Fox observes many different kinds of ocean life, like crabs, starfish, algae and an amazing array of corals. He also comes across some underwater friends who try to help guide him to the elusive plant. But Fox despairs when he loses his camera — even if he finds the constellation of the deep, how will he capture this amazing discovery?

With spreads of informational content interspersed throughout, Constellation of the Deep is a charming picture book featuring the same character from The Golden Glow that details the wonders of the underwater world and celebrates observing the beauty of nature.

Pages: 48

Ages: 4-8yrs

Praise:

“Benjamin Flouw highlights the beauty and expansive diversity of the oceans in this informative picture book.” —Library Matters

"Fascinated by plants, Fox journeys deep underwater in search of one that glows in dark ocean depths.

The star of The Golden Glow (2018) has another sweetly satisfying adventure. While he and his cousin Wolf are hiking along the coast, a sea gull tells them of a luminescent underwater plant. Now Fox has a new goal. Donning borrowed scuba gear and bringing along an underwater camera, he explores an aquatic meadow, a kelp forest, and a coral reef before reaching a deep abyss, where he notices his camera is missing. Flouw’s illustrations alternate pages of storyline with others that display an array of labeled examples: diving equipment, creatures of the near shore, species of underwater vegetation (giant algae), and shapes of colorful coral. Originally published in French, this Canadian title is unusual in its specificity about plants but predictable in its inclusion of the problem of marine plastic trash. Just inside the abyss, Fox encounters and unwraps a whale entangled in a fish net filled with trash—and, fortuitously, Fox’s camera, which captured a picture of the glowing plant in its fall. While hiking, fully anthropomorphic Fox and Wolf wear hoodies and trekking pants; later they dine on grape pâté sandwiches and mushroom juice. The varying blues of the ocean become dark and deep; the lighter colors of the shoreline suggest the edges of a day; and the warm tones of Wolf’s den affirm the comfort of home. (This book was reviewed digitally.)"

Kirkus Reviews

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