Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life - Hardcover

Jim Arnosky is the author/illustrator of more than 100 books for young readers, and has been honored for his overall contribution to literature for children. He received the first lifetime achievement award for Excellence in Science Illustration from the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Award for nonfiction. Many of his books have been chosen as ALA Notable Books, including Drawing from Nature (William Morrow & Co.) a Christopher Award-winner, and he has collected many starred reviews. His first book for Sterling, Wild Tracks, was a 2008 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year; 2009 ALA Notable; and received starred reviews in Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal. Jim lives in South Ryegate, VT, but travels all over the US for school and library visits, meeting hundreds of kids every year. Visit jimarnosky.com to learn more.

“Arnosky has been directing his painterly eye and literary hand to the natural world for many years, ranging from artful works on raccoons in a cornfield to taloned raptors in the ether. Here he turns his considerable talents to life in the sea in the style of previous works such as Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators (2011) and Slither and Crawl: Eye to Eye with Reptiles (2009, both Sterling). With foldout pages and many life-size illustrations, this overview is less tightly focused, touching on sea life from coral reefs to sailfish, from sea jellies to fiddler crabs, all depicted in a burst of shimmering blues and greens with splashes of yellow. The informative and lucid text is larded with personal experiences as Arnosky wades, kayaks, boats, and fishes in the “sparkling” world of water he so obviously enjoys. Soft pencil sketches ranging from coral species to sharks' tails slip along the outer margins of the pages of text, a gentle counterpoint to the exuberant, colorful acrylics. Informative, to be sure, and eminently readable, this dynamic title will be an explosive visual feast for many children.” —School Library Journal “Arnosky's prose is both solidly informational and lyrical as it introduces each animal: 'Some jellyfish such as the moon jellyfish and upside-down jellyfish can swim from place to place by undulating their bodies.' Shaded pencil drawings of sea life with brief, handwritten descriptions add to the sense that readers are in the field alongside Arnosky. His descriptive accounts of his wild adventures—such as photographing sharks by moonlight—are intimate and exciting; his respect for the natural world, contagious.” —Publishers Weekly (STARRED REVIEW)