Atlas of Ocean Adventures by Emily Hawkins

Plunge into the depths of the world's great oceans, and discover the diversity of life that exists in the deep blue sea.

Whether you're travelling long haul with leatherback turtles across the Pacific, snoozing with sea otters, or bathing with a walrus, this book celebrates the world's oceans.

The book opens with a double spread of a simplified world map, marking out the oceans and major land masses. A contents page lets readers know what oceans, and creatures, they'll be learning about. The book takes readers on a 'guided tour' of the world's five oceans, dropping in at colourful coral reefs, kelp forests, tropical shores, and deep undersea trenches.

Each ocean starts with a more detailed map of it, showing the countries that surround it, and the animals you may find. It then dives into the water, highlighting a handful of creatures you can expect to see.

Each double spread detailing the creatures includes plenty of facts and figures about the animal in question. There's a detailed diagram of the animal too, as well as maps to add to your knowledge.

New Zealand features, with the shearwaters of the Auckland Islands gracing the pages, and there are a few other animals that call our waters home featured in the book too.

The book also discusses the threats to ocean health, highlighting the ways in which human actions are harming the oceans and its creatures. Author Emily Hawkins also includes some simple ways we can take action, including learning as much as possible about the ocean.

The over-sized hardcover book features stunning illustration by Lucy Letherland and a lot of thought has been put into the design of the book. Even the end pages sparkle with colour.

On the first read of the book, it was quite obvious some things aren't as they seem. An otter with a life-ring, or a penguin carrying a bucket and spade. It wasn't until the end of the book that we realised it was also a sort of seek and find. There are 58 specific illustrations - some realistic, others not quite so much - that readers can hunt for. This helped break up the intensity of the non-fiction, with a little bit of fun.

A comprehensive index at the end of the book makes it usable and a great reference book.

This is the fifth title in the best-selling Atlas of Adventures series, and with over 30 watery scenes to explore, there's plenty for young nature adventurers to explore.

Reviewer: Rebekah Lyell

Quarto Group, RRP $39.99