Bloom

Jellyfish are an ‘indicator species’ we’re told on the final spread of Julia Seal’s topical and rather beautiful picture book, their increased presence in our oceans a sign that something is out of balance. Our guide in the story, which vividly explains what is going wrong, is Luna, a bright and cheery looking jellyfish with very expressive features. The friends that Luna plays with on the reef have disappeared and as she goes hunting for them, she notices strange fish swimming past instead. Readers will recognise these are in fact discarded plastic bottles, flipflops and carrier bags. She finds her friends again, but they have warnings about warming waters. One single jellyfish might not be able to make a difference, but a huge bloom of them can get their message across. Luna and her fellow jellyfish take direct action, blocking power stations, weighing down fishing nets and encouraging children on the beach to start a clean up. With handsome underwater scenes and daintily depicted jellyfish, the story’s lessons will hit home with little children: take care of the seas and band together if you really want to make a difference.

Read our Q&A interview with Julia Seal.