Goodnight, Ocean

Goodnight, Ocean by Skye Taylor (Loose Parts Press) HB RRP $16.99 ISBN: 9781763807136

Reviewed by Dannielle Viera

As darkness swallows the sky, say goodnight to the creatures of the deep, from the green sea turtle ‘cruising along the current’ and the dugong ‘with a blissful bellyful of seagrass’ to the leopard shark ‘resting in the reef’. The ocean will continue to sing ‘sweet lullabies that rush over the sand’.

Skye Taylor’s lyrical descriptions softly bring to life the sweeping array of marine animals found off the coast of Australia. This board book is quiet enough to send toddlers to sleep with a smile on their face.

Awash with emerald, sapphire and violet, Skye’s illustrations embrace dusky night-time hues as heralds of rest. Stars bespeckle both backgrounds and beasts, the twinkling links hinting at the magic of the sea.

Goodnight, Ocean is the perfect bedtime book for nature-loving littlies. Lexically and visually, it is as gentle as a ‘crystal jellyfish bobbing along the blue’.