There is something soothing about the proximity of a large body of water, calm or wild. It is essential to life on our planet, especially to those creatures living within or around that large body of water. In their sixth book, author Kate Messner and artist Christopher Silas Neal give us the lovely Over and Under the Waves (Chronicle Books, September 13, 2022). For those who have rarely traversed or never been in water larger than one of the Great Lakes or inland lakes in the United States, this book takes us on a memorable exploration.
Over the waves we paddle, away from
the beach to the water's deep blue.
Two red kayaks glide. In one is a mother and child. In the other is the father. They first encounter a group of sea lions basking on a cluster of rocks. One leaves and dives into the water.
When the child questions where the sea lion goes, their mother speaks of the world beneath their kayaks and the plants and animals living there. As they continue to paddle, under them different fish of different sizes and colors swim. In the sky, pelicans search over the kayaks.
As their kayaks slide into a
forest of kelp
the child holds tight to some to stay in place. Their mother notes sea otters do the same thing. A female otter floats, with her child, on top of the water and another swims through the kelp in search of food.
Slicing through the water, the family notices sea birds above them looking for their next meal as a leopard shark does the same below them. In the distance, whales have surfaced. Can they move closer to the whales? Will they surface again?
Homeward bound the kayaks move. They cannot see the giant octopus under them, but they do see the abundant life in the small tide pools and along the sand. Now home and near sleep, the child can still hear the sea. It moves and lulls life under the waves in a timeless melody.
Author Kate Messner has the adept ability to bring the magic she encounters in her adventures to the printed page for us. Her word choices are highly descriptive, fashioning a portrait of the place. She includes a bit of dialogue and sound effects to heighten our participation. Throughout the book, she names specific plant and animal life and their habits. Here is a passage.
The bay has gone quiet. We wait,
rising and falling on the swells.
Under the waves, pale moon jellies
float and sea nettles drift, swinging
with the slow current.
"We should head back," Mom says, but then . . .
As you look at the stunning image spanning left to right, back to front, on the matching and open dust jacket and book case, you are truly over and under the waves. The illustration crosses the spine flawlessly. To the left of the spine and above the kelp forest, a school of tiny fish moves from the left edge to the spine. The bay water rises to nearly the top of the left side. On the front, the position of the pelican and other shore birds is impeccable. Look at the comparison of the kayaks with the whale! Wow!
The opening and closing endpapers are a brilliant blue. It is the kind of blue when the sky is crystal clear and reflected in the water. There is a pattern of starfish, scallop shells, and fish with air bubbles in white on that blue canvas.
Artist Christopher Silas Neal begins his pictorial interpretation on the verso and title pages. Here we see a panoramic view of the cottage where the family is staying. It is at the top of a grassy hill with a triple staircase leading down to the beach and the red kayaks. In front of this is the bay and along the bottom of the pages, we see beneath the water.
Each of the double-page pictures and single-page pictures
rendered in mixed media
involve us deeply in the family's excursion. We are treated to breathtaking seascape views. Sometimes we are close to the family as they are noticing the world around them. We see vast scenes under the water and sometimes we move close to the residents there. At times we are looking down on the kayakers as if we are one of the sea birds. Often we are able to see over and under the waves at the same time. Careful readers will notice the sky changing as the day comes to a close and dusk descends.
One of my many favorite images is a single-page picture. We are looking down on a pelican in flight that fills a large portion of the page. Beneath the bird are two other pelicans, much smaller and much lower to the water. On the water are the two red kayaks; the family holding their paddles at rest. Pelicans in flight invite our attention; silent sentinels that they are.
For those who have never visited the sea or an ocean or who have and wish they could be there again, this book, Over and Under the Waves written by Kate Messner with art by Christopher Silas Neal, is the ideal title. At the close of the book is an Author's Note. This is followed by several pages of information about the individual twenty-two flora and fauna mentioned in the text. There is also a page dedicated to a list of books and websites for further information about Monterey Bay and what you might find over and under the waves. This book is a stellar addition to a fabulous series. You will want a copy in both your personal and professional collections.
To learn more about Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names. There are interior images from this book at Christopher Silas Neal's website. Kate Messner has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Christopher Silas Neal has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Twitter.
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