If You Lived in the Sea, Who Would You Be?

"Young ocean lovers will treasure Johnston’s picture book debut, the first in her Who Would You Be? series, as they learn about the creatures who live, work, and play in the briny deep. From a ferocious lanternfish with a razor-toothed mouth to meandering manatees, Johnston, along with swirling, kaleidoscopic illustrations from Meg Sodano, presents an array of underwater life, explaining the important role each one has in our ecosystem. 'Humans could not survive without healthy oceans,' she writes, for they 'contain plant and animal life that we depend upon to breathe, eat, work, and more.' What better reason than that to dive into the open sea and discover what lies beneath? Johnston makes learning fun and fascinating here, bringing each creature to life while subtly sharing what makes them unique. An amber octopus 'journey[s] alone from the day of [its] birth' (though attentive kids will spot a ride-along friend in its tentacles), lime-colored sea anemones perch on rocks to catch unsuspecting crabs, and a deep-water barreleye fish wows with its see-through head. Even a doleful blobfish, 'toothless and boneless, the drabbest around,' will tug at readers’ hearts with his forlorn expression. Those are just a handful of the wonders that Johnston introduces, explaining that they are 'as important to Earth as the sun and the rain.' To ensure kids soak up the information, Johnston ends the book with a list of the featured animals, adding in extra facts that will astonish young and old readers alike: Orcas can be part of pods that boast as many as 40 family members; sand crabs, who live in the area of the ocean where waves wash up on shore, can only walk backwards; and the lesser-known dugong—a vegetarian—can harness the special bristles on its snout to graze seagrass. This is a remarkable introduction to sealife for young readers. Takeaway: Fascinating peek at the creatures who populate our oceans."—Publishers Weekly

"Johnston’s picture book debut delves deep into ocean habitats, depicting the vast and varied array of creatures that make their homes in the water. Turtles travel miles from their hatching place; sea anemones cling, unbudging, to rocks at low tide. Belugas cruise unseen beneath icebergs; flying fish jump spectacularly from the waters. Orcas swim in packs; octopuses travel alone. Johnston’s compendium of ocean fauna unfolds mostly through juxtaposition, showing disparate subjects in side-by-side, single-page portraits (with occasional double-page spreads, such as the concluding contrast between the human and animal experience of the seaside). Throughout, Johnston employs rhyming couplets with a sureness of meter and a deftness with internal rhymes and alliteration, as in a reference to “a teeny, wee plankton displaying your presence / by lighting the sea with your bright phosphorescence.” Artist Sodano complements the text with gentle, realistic illustrations whose subtle blend of crayons, pencils, and paints mirrors the complexities of the natural world. The overall effect is to showcase an existing sense of wonder, rather than entertain with anthropomorphized characters. To this end, a four-page appendix offers further animal facts, as well as links to ocean conservation organizations. An accessible and eye-opening introduction to the marvels of marine life."—Kirkus Reviews 

"Take a dip in the ocean without leaving the couch. This book’s ever-changing watery blue illustrations and the wave-like rhythm of the rhymed text introduce readers to a cast of characters from the sea. Readers may imagine leaping out of the water like a playful dolphin, journeying alone like an octopus, or being a small part of a great coral wall. The text invites children to imitate more unusual creatures that carry their own light in the depths of the ocean or display their brains and more through a clear, liquid, dome-shaped forehead. Many of the creatures are not identified by name in the text, but the backmatter includes snapshots of the creatures in the same order as they appear in the text, along with each creature’s name and some fun facts. As the book’s conclusion aptly points out, a life in the kelp or the ice or the surf would be different than life on the turf. It would be wet, of course, but also each sea creature plays a vital role in an ecosystem that is responsible for the air humans breathe and the food that they eat. Additional backmatter provides links to organizations working to improve the health of the seas."—Children's Literature

“Original, informative, featuring a rhyming text and museum quality images, “If You Lived in the Sea, Who Would You Be?” by author/storyteller Julie Honan Johnston and arrtist/illustrator Meg Sodano is a fun read from cover to cover. Enhanced for the reader’s benefit with the inclusion of a four page ‘About the Animals’ section, and a half-page listing of End Note and Resources, “If You Lived in the Sea, Who Would You Be?” is especially and unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library Marine Wildlife collections for children ages 4-8.”—Midwest Book Review

"What would you do if you lived in the sea? Would you dive down to the darkest parts of the ocean where the glowing fish sleep? Would you surf the waves on a hot summer day? Would you soar with your pod or graze on seagrass? Would you be a colorful part of the coral reef? If you lived in the sea your life would be very different than it is on land. You wouldn’t need shoes or spoons or books or the news. But you would still be an important part of the chain of life on Earth. A fun story that encourages young readers to think about and wonder what life would be like in a different habitat. (Ages 4-8)"—KidsBookshelf