In the Rockpool (Andrea Rowe, illus Hannah Sommerville, Little Hare)

Andrea Rowe’s In the Rockpool transports us to a sunny beach where children play on the rock platform. With the sea in the background and the alluring rockpool in the foreground, the children have time, space and freedom to explore. A little girl peers into ‘one little rockpool’, and her ‘two little eyes’ spy a pool festooned with natural seaweed streamers, colourful anemones and shells, and translucent bubbles. Close-up sightings of ‘three little urchins’, ‘four little moon snails’ and ‘five little clams’ reveal that this is a counting book, as well as a discovery and celebration of rockpool life. Other children join, sharing the girl’s curiosity and wonderment for the marine garden and its creatures—of which a highlight is the weed-like sea dragon—while also respecting the environment with their ‘ten careful toes’. The minimal, repetitive, rhythmic language in the book is interactive and ideal for young children aged 1–4. Hannah Sommerville recreates the magic of the marine world through her well-researched, detailed, and brightly rendered illustrations. In the Rockpool, from the new Little Worlds board book series for babies to preschoolers, is for readers who enjoyed Rock Pool Secrets by Narelle Oliver and Jetty Jumping, also by Rowe and Sommerville. This vibrant book may nurture a lifelong fascination with rockpools.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Joy Lawn has worked for independent bookshops and blogs at Paperbark Words. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

Category: Friday Unlocked reviews Reviews