Reviewed by Henricus Peters
Australia is famous for its unique and interesting wildlife, with many of these species existing nowhere else on the planet. But did you know that a whopping 70 % of mammals are nocturnal?
That’s land species. How much do we know about the night-time behaviours of sea animals?
NASA confirms that it’s easier to send people into orbit than to dive the oceans with their great depths, zero visibility, steely cold temperatures and crushing amounts of pressure – so it’s often said we know more about ‘the great expanses out there’ than we know about our own ‘blue planet’.
Oceans at Night aims to help change that, for younger readers, and does so in a brilliantly unusual way.
The focus is the wonderful world under the waves that comes to life between dusk and dawn.
From little penguins – often menaced by dogs and cars – through fascinating sharks, deep diving giant squid, and to sea turtles – this marvellous short book describes the animals in beautifully illustrated but still realistic scenes. The end pages include detailed fact pages, and a handy glossary.
Cindy Lane is an award-winning artist with a particular pencil for the ocean, using natural materials alongside her own paints. Author Dr Vanessa Pirotta is a scientist and science commentator with a special expertise in whales that come to and past Australia’s coasts.
Dr Vanessa Pirotta, illustrated by Cindy Lane
CSIRO Publishing, 2024
publish.csiro.au
ISBN: 9781486317233
