Ocean's Child

Christine Ford and Trish Holland

As a mother and child canoe along the Alaskan Beaufort seacoast, they observe a baby walrus held close to its mother’s spotted chest, sea lions snuggling, and the Northern Lights shimmering above. David Diaz’s powerful, lush illustrations bring to life the majesty of the ocean and skies—and the vulnerability of the ocean’s biggest and smallest inhabitants, from the orca to the puffin.

The book ends with the human mother and her sleeping child gliding home for the night. “Good night, Mother Ocean, good night.”

The artwork is done in the same finely crafted, softly colored graphic style that Diaz used in The Pot That Juan Built (Lee & Low, 2002) and César: Si, Se Puede!/Yes, We Can! (Marshall Cavendish, 2004).

He has projected swirly reflection-like patterns in the water that seem to bounce off clothing, boat, and sea animals, along with representations of plant life and bubbles.