Dive, Dive into the Night Sea
Thea Lu
Walker Studio

This book has such an alluring cover illustration that you immediately feel you want to join the diver/narrator and plunge into the depths of the night sea. If you choose to do so, you will be rewarded by a fascinating and awe-inspiring undersea journey. Each spread (they open horizontally) reveals something different: the first being the coral reef where small fish including triggerfish and batfish are able to find safety in its cracks and crevices. The narrator likens the reef to an underwater hotel where such fish can hide from potential nocturnal predators.

The beam of the narrator’s torch attracts a wealth of creatures from plankton, the tiniest organisms in the sea, to some gigantic ones such as the scary-looking but harmless Manta rays. However, turning off the torch enables the diver and readers to see the bioluminescent plankton, described as ‘a constellation of stars’.

A return to the reef brings another surprise in the form of fluorescent corals; these are revealed only when the diver’s special blue/ultraviolet torch light is shone on the reef after dark.

Clever use of scale allows us to appreciate the size of the creatures in relation to the diver and the use of flaps allows for two levels of text: a larger font offers a text that will is essentially an interesting story to share with young children, whilst hidden beneath the flaps presented in a smaller font is more detailed information about the fascinating night sea. Did you know that sperm whales usually keep half of their brain awake when they sleep; this is termed unihemispheric sleep? This helps them to control their breathing,

Inspiring awe and wonder aplenty, this is a smashing, cleverly designed book to have in a Foundation Stage/Key Stage 1 classroom.