The Ocean at Night (Nature at Night)

The action begins around sunset in this kaleidoscopic portrait of ocean life at night. Each spread highlights an animalian category and a remarkable attribute, presenting gannets as they “dive full speed” into the ocean at sunset, and leatherback turtles as they “haul themselves out of the water in the darkness.” Fact-filled storytelling reaches its pinnacle with an awe-struck discussion of plankton rising up from the deep: “a billion microscopic creatures” undertaking “the biggest migration on the planet... every night.” In wispy, scratch-like art, rainbow-hued depictions energize every scene. Closing pages range further across amazing creatures—touching on the whale shark’s immensity and longevity, and the parrotfish’s practice of sleeping in a bubble—before the book moves toward dawn. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)