CONSTELLATION OF THE DEEP

Fascinated by plants, Fox journeys deep underwater in search of one that glows in dark ocean depths.

The star of The Golden Glow (2018) has another sweetly satisfying adventure. While he and his cousin Wolf are hiking along the coast, a sea gull tells them of a luminescent underwater plant. Now Fox has a new goal. Donning borrowed scuba gear and bringing along an underwater camera, he explores an aquatic meadow, a kelp forest, and a coral reef before reaching a deep abyss, where he notices his camera is missing. Flouw’s illustrations alternate pages of storyline with others that display an array of labeled examples: diving equipment, creatures of the near shore, species of underwater vegetation (giant algae), and shapes of colorful coral. Originally published in French, this Canadian title is unusual in its specificity about plants but predictable in its inclusion of the problem of marine plastic trash. Just inside the abyss, Fox encounters and unwraps a whale entangled in a fish net filled with trash—and, fortuitously, Fox’s camera, which captured a picture of the glowing plant in its fall. While hiking, fully anthropomorphic Fox and Wolf wear hoodies and trekking pants; later they dine on grape pâté sandwiches and mushroom juice. The varying blues of the ocean become dark and deep; the lighter colors of the shoreline suggest the edges of a day; and the warm tones of Wolf’s den affirm the comfort of home. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A fresh, original introduction to the underwater world.