Sea Animals

Picture Book Review – The Quiet Ocean

THE QUIET OCEAN

Written by Charlotte Offsay

Illustrated by Abi Cushman

(Beach Lane Books; $19.99, Ages 4-8)

 

The Quiet Ocean cover creatures under the sea.

 

★STARRED REVIEW – School Library Journal

 

Charlotte Offsay and Abi Cushman have created another terrific picture book together called The Quiet Ocean. This one is a companion to The Quiet Forest. Cushman’s illustrations draw readers into the soothing blue ocean with her delightfully silly sea creatures living their best lives, until unexpected havoc turns their world upside down.

The book’s endpapers depict the ocean floor, but it’s not what you would expect (NOTE: Don’t miss the other endpapers after you finish). A bike leans against a rock, across from a beach chair, and a bathtub and a rubber ducky sit alone not far from a harmless (?)-looking pufferfish. After the title page, where there’s a clever glimpse of a yellow fish tail, readers see that same cute pufferfish swimming happily amongst the seaweed and rocks, gliding in and out of the marine algae and seagrasses. Until…

A squid, wearing a shower cap and drinking a cup of coffee, soaks in a tub with a brush in one of his eight arms. As you can imagine, this would scare anyone who saw it, even a sea creature who has lived his life on the ocean floor. The pufferfish’s fright releases ink, and this obviously startles the squid. His once-clean body is now covered in ink! Tension builds.

 

 

The Quiet Ocean int1 pufferfish scaring a bathing squid.
Interior spread from The Quiet Ocean, written by Charlotte Offsay and illustrated by Abi Cushman, Beach Lane Books, ©2026.

 

 

A playful puffer and a startled squid in a suddenly not-so-quiet ocean. Offsay uses cumulative structure in each event, creating a fun read for both the reader and the listener. Splattered ink surprises the relaxed green turtle as he lounges in his beach chair. He falls out of the chair, spilling ice cubes from his glass, and scurries past a dolphin riding his bike. FLAP! SPLASH! The cumulative chaos continues.

The dolphin’s splashing upsets the shark, who is doing what all sharks tend to do — knitting a blanket in a lounging chair. The shark grabs the knitted blanket, which causes the yarn ball to wrap around the chair, seagrass, and rocks; the pufferfish and turtle’s eyes open wide when the shark swims into a wedding cake the whale is meticulously decorating with icing. Oh, what a mess! So … page turns quicken.

A playful puffer, a startled squid, a troubled turtle, a distressed dolphin, a shaky shark, and a wailing whale in an oh-dear-this-is-out-of-control ocean.

 

 

The Quiet Ocean int2 ink frightens a turtle.
Interior art from The Quiet Ocean, written by Charlotte Offsay and illustrated by Abi Cushman, Beach Lane Books, ©2026.

 

 

Havoc turns to calmness when the whale hears the ocean’s song. The shaky shark de-stresses the distressed dolphin, and the troubled turtle soothes the startled squid. Ahhh! Now that feels good.

It’s impossible not to smile while reading this story. Children learn the importance of calming their bodies and minds in stressful moments. It’s a story to share after a difficult day at school, or a funny read before bedtime. Both Offsay and Cushman have created a book teachers will keep on their shelves for years to come. Offsay and Cushman’s long list of children’s books is on my reading list, and I especially recommend this one.

 

  • Reviewed by Ronda Einbinder

 

 

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Life in The Ocean

A New York Times best-selling author and a Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator take you down deep for a look at life below the waves. Reviewed today by Karen Estrada.

In the Sea ($16.99, Candlewick, ages 3-5), David Elliot’s companion volume to his books On the Farm and In the Wild, is a stunning and educational glimpse into the creatures of the ocean deep. Holly Meade’s magnificent woodcut illustrations are reflective of the ever undulating world beneath the sea’s surface; the often bold, sometimes fierce, images of sea life juxtaposed against the soft shades of their ocean habitat reminded me of days I spent scuba diving off the coast of Thailand where the vibrant colors of sea life stand out against a muted palette of blue-green hues. Meade’s illustrations are nothing short of art—images I would happily purchase and frame to hang in my child’s room.

If only for the illustrations, this book is worth purchasing, but let’s not discount the enlightening poetry of David Elliot who offers descriptions of both familiar sea creatures, such as the Shark, and those less likely to appear in a children’s book, like the Mackerel or Chambered Nautilus. Using a variety of poetic styles imposed over Meade’s captivating illustrations, Elliot gives children a keen insight into the characteristics, lives, and habits of twenty creatures of the sea. The vocabulary Elliot employs in his poetry often surpasses that of a young child, using words like “apparition” and “belligerent,” which deepens the educational opportunities this book has to offer. I had no idea what a turtle’s “carapace” was until I looked it up; even I learned something from reading this remarkable book. David Elliot’s poetry and Holly Meade’s illustrations in In the Sea pair together swimmingly to depict the often enigmatic nature of sea life in a book that I will return to again and again.

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