Please welcome my guest author and friend, Padma Venkatraman, with her list of 7 Stories About Saving Sea Creatures. We met at an SCBWI conference in Springfield many years ago. The author signings were lined up alphabetically so I had the great pleasure of sitting next to her. Her middle grade book, The Bridge Home, had just been featured in the New York Times, and I believe it was also her birthday! Both events were celebratory so we grabbed a bite and a drink after our book signing to celebrate.
She also has a PhD in oceanography and was a college professor before becoming a lauded children’s book author. She is a staunch supporter of women and girls in STEM, and when my oldest had a question about aquaculture and mussel farming, she was the go-to who generously dropped everything to help her. I’m so thrilled to have her!
Safe Harbor by Padma Venkatraman
“SAFE HARBOR is an exquisite verse novel by one of my favorite poets. I fell in love with each heartfelt page. The perfect blend of personal and STEM themes is truly amazing.”
– Margarita Engle, Newbery Honor winning author of The Surrender Tree & YPP Poet Laureate Emeritus
“You do not read this book so much as experience it through images and feelings, curling up in its safe harbor and watching humans and animals face challenges, yet flourish, thanks to their tenacity, understanding, and love. SAFE HARBOR is like entering a dear friend’s kitchen and sharing nourishing food…you’ll breathe in sweet mango and salt air, soak up the sounds of bamboo flute and harp seal, and, after a shiver of ocean spray, embrace the warmth of friendship and hope.”
– Kathryn Erskine, National Book Award winning author
[middle grade, ages 10 and up]
We are giving away a copy of her newest middle grade book, Safe Harbor. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter at the bottom.
7 Stories About Saving Sea Creatures That Center BIPOC Protagonists
Dog of the Sea Waves by James Ransom
Manu, the youngest of five brothers, discovers a wounded creature on a beach in Hawaii. It looks like a dog, although it has flippers, a fish’s tail, and the body of a dolphin. He nurtures it back to health – and it, in turn, comes to his aid. Both story and watercolor illustrations speak directly to the beauty of our oceans and the need to care for marine mammals and other marine life. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Stella Diaz Never Gives Up by Angela Dominguez
I loved the first book in this series and was as delighted as Stella when I found out she’d be traveling to visit with extended family in Mexico! Stella can’t wait to see the ocean; but soon after her arrival, she is upset to discover that pollution threatens the marine animals she loves so much. As we know, Stella Diaz is an endearing protagonist who never gives up – and she’s soon working hard, together with old and new friends, to do what she can to make a difference by harnessing her own strength and the power of community. [chapter book, ages 7 and up]
Layla and the Bots: Making Waves by Vicki Fang, illustrated by Christine Nishiyama
This 4th book in the series overlaps in an unexpected way with my upcoming novel, SAFE HARBOR: the theme of music appears in my work, and in this adventure. Layla and the Bots are faced with an unexpected challenge when they meet rehabilitated animals at Surfside Rescue Center – where a dolphin refuses to eat unless music is playing! Can Layla and the Bots help the dolphin by building a machine, so the dolphin can choose the music it prefers to hear? [chapter book, ages 7 and up]
Gracie Under the Waves by Linda Sue Park
Gracie loves snorkeling and her family vacation in Honduras is going splendidly. The only thing that prevents it from being perfect is the presence of Gracie’s annoying little brother – until Gracie hurts her leg. Worse, she discovers that the coral reefs are in danger. Can she help save them? This is an empowering story about saving our oceans, and Park’s vivid descriptions of being under the waves and surrounded by sea creatures took me back to my own experiences as an oceanographer. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
Turtles of the Midnight Moon by Maria Jose Fitzgerald
This story is also set in Honduras! It features Barana who calls it home, and Abby, a visitor whose father immigrated from there to the United States. The two girls are drawn together when Barana, who loves sea turtles, discovers that someone has been poaching their eggs, and the two girls set out to catch the thief. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
The Sea In Winter by Christine Day
Maisie Cannon loves ballet, but when she hurts her leg, she can’t keep up with ballet training and auditions. Her blended family is supportive, but Maisie isn’t excited about their trip, along the coast, near her mother’s Makah community; I, however, was along for the ride as soon as I read Day’s poetic storytelling. Maisie discovers how her family has been affected by treaty rights to harvest shellfish, the removal of dams that blocked the migration of salmon, and the conflict over whale hunting. This lyrical book advocates for social justice and Indigenous rights, in the context of environmental advocacy, and it is all the more vital in light of the fact that BIPOC communities have already, and in the future will likely remain, among those most adversely impacted by climate change and other environmental threats. [middle grade, ages 8 and up]
Safe Harbor GIVEAWAY!
We are giving away a copy of her newest middle grade book, Safe Harbor. To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter below. We can only mail to U.S. and A.F.O. addresses.
Padma Venkatraman is the author of The Bridge Home, Born Behind Bars, A Time to Dance, Island’s End and Climbing the Stairs. Her books have sold over ¼ million copies, received over 20 starred reviews, and won numerous awards: Walter Dean Myers Award, South Asia Book Award, Golden Kite, ALA Notable etc. Her poetry has been published in Poetry Magazine and nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Padma loves teaching and sharing her love for reading and writing with others, and her doctorate in oceanography inspired her latest novel, Safe Harbor, which School Library Journal, in a starred review, described as a “must read.” Visit her website or arrange an author visit. To learn more, follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, and LinkedIn.
p.s. Related posts:
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Resources for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
110 Asian Pacific American Children’s and YA Books
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My Daughter’s Team Wins the Rhode Island BlueGreen Innovation Challenge!
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These stories lok wonderful!
These books would be great for any classroom library.
I always seem to come up blank at these questions, although I feel sure I have some sweet ones in our library. What I do know is I have just added many titles to my list–thank you, as always, for expanding my awareness of books featuring previously under-represented communities.
Ones about caring for the planet, such as What a Waste by Jess French.
Saving Sunshine is really popular in our school’s media center and so is Odder. Our readers love The Bridge Home and Born Behind Bars, so I know they’ll be excited about Safe Harbor.
Among my favorites about trying to save our planet and its creatures are When Sea Becomes Sky by Gillian McDunn, and Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet by Barbara Dee.
I had to research books that discussed recycling and its effects on sea life, and I came across the book Little Turtle and the Changing Sea. It was a super cute story!
Make a Little Wave-Kerry Cerra
Odder-Katherine Applegate
Whale in the Wild-Rosanne Parry
Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet-Barbara Dee (focus on river, not sea)
And I, too, loved Parks’ “Graci.”
This looks like a great read!
I love the cover of The Sea in Winter!
Great recommendations for not just #ReadYourWord Day but for any day!