Review Detail

The Ocean Gardener tells the story of Ayla and her mother helping coral reefs. Ayla loves her life on the island but is growing concerned when the fish leave and the corals become white. Her mother is a marine biologist and together they make a coral nursery to help the coral recover. This book conveys the beauty and delicate balance of the ocean through illustrations and the text. Coral nurseries most likely will be a new concept to young readers so this shows the positive impact people can have on helping coral heal. The back matter introduces a real marine biologist and how her work inspired this story. It also gives clear and easy-to-understand facts in the back to learn more about corals. Overall, this is a great first read to introduce environmental issues like coral bleaching.