How the Sea Came to Be
(And All the Creatures in It)
Jennifer Berne’s rhyming picture book How the Sea Came to Be is an educational and concise explanation of how the ocean and its marine life formed.
Chronicling 4.5-billion years of terrestrial evolution, beginning from stages of molten rock with volcanoes that “bubbled and burbled and hissed” and following along as clouds and constant rain cooled the planet and created “oceans all over the world,” this is the story of how Earth became a “salty sea world … where every ocean [flows] with all kinds of life.” Delightful, lilting quatrains appear on each page, complemented by dazzling artwork depicting dolphins, octopuses, sea turtles, and jellyfish swimming in cerulean waters. Flounder flatten themselves against a mossy-green ocean floor as seaweed sways with the current; lobsters, shrimp, and mollusks crawl and swim among floating plankton in purple and minty-blue underwater scenes. Elsewhere, luminescent fish hunt for prey in a black and lightless sea.
An accessible introduction to marine biology, oceanography, earth science, and geology, the book includes an appreciable quantity of educational material. A timeline details Earth’s geological history, and an illustration depicts diverse organisms from a variety of eons and eras. A catalog of ocean science readings, videos, and web pages; a glossary of keywords; and recommended museums and aquariums make this volume an excellent resource too.
Nearly three-quarters of Earth’s life occupies the oceans, and less than ten percent of that living space has been explored by human beings. Millions of aquatic life forms have yet to be discovered. Berne enthuses that the next generation of scientists will discover more of the Earth “than all previous generations combined — and that’s you!”
How the Sea Came to Be is an illuminating, impactful, and inspiring science text for budding ocean-related scientists and natural history enthusiasts.
Reviewed by
Amy O'Loughlin
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
