Deep Underwater

June 18, 2018
Canadian artist Luxbacher (Malaika’s Costume) travels to the ocean, where blue-black currents swirl and a girl named Sophia invites listeners to explore with her: “Will you dive down and see?... I know you will. You are brave.” Dark, lush illustrations survey all sorts of ocean life: “I’ve seen clowns and angels and four-eyed butterflies,” Sophia says. Myriad textures and objects enliven the spreads: fine lines combed by underwater currents, worn sails on the mast of a wrecked ship; newsprint stands in for leaves, and fabric swatches represent seaweed tendrils. While Sophia dives down to discover life under the waves, the text suggests that she’s exploring her inner life as well as the deep sea. The reflection she sees in an underwater mirror becomes her companion, an ever-present twin who dances with her (“Deep down, I never feel alone. I can always see a friend in me”). The expedition’s goal may be unknown, but the adventure creates a sense of quiet wonder and contentment. Ages 4–7.

July 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 2-Sophia, whose proximity to the ocean has clearly informed and inspired her, spins a deep-sea fantasy. The child invites readers to follow her into the depths. Her narration is both succinct and full of rich language, so listeners will have interesting words to ponder while poring over wondrous images. For example, after "an abyss becomes a bottomless pit of possibilities," the girl floats in a protective sphere through a cavernous portal, lit with an orange glow. As Sophia observes circles of varying sizes and colors carrying everything from an atom or music to a key and a dinosaur skeleton, the text reads: "Here, hot gassy bubbles burp ancient secrets from deep inside the center of the Earth." Mixed media and collage art, digitally composed, produce intense colors and a riot of textures that depict the teeming underwater flora and fauna. In a clever scene with sunken treasure, Sophia gazes into a mirror and finds a mermaid dopplegänger, "a friend in me, whose strength lifts me up." Back in her bedroom, eyes closed, mirror and mother by her side, she conjures a whale-shaped, Chagall-like dream-fertile territory for young imaginations. VERDICT The slightly surreal artwork is dreamlike, but the book lacks a child-friendly perspective and widespread appeal.-Wendy Lukehart, District of Columbia Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from June 1, 2018
Sophia knows all the sea's secrets (its "dragons," "floating forests," "clowns," "angels," and "four-eyed butterflies"), and she invites readers to follow her deep underwater to discover what lies full fathom five. Kaleidoscopic illustrations teem with cerulean colors, shifting shapes, and swirling patterns, evoking oceanic fantasies filled with mysterious sea creatures, treasure, magic, and transformations. Sophia's ebony hair drifts with the current, her porcelain skin glows, and her calm voice coaxes readers down, down, down, where "tentacles, / antennae and teeth disappear into / darknesss...and an abyss becomes / a bottomless pit of possibilities...." Readers feel woozily enchanted by this little snow-white siren and the myriad underwater miracles as they descend. Shafts of white space, often highlighting the narrative verse, administer welcome breaths of air amid a density of fish and flotsam. Luxbacher's graphite, watercolor, and acrylic illustrations (composed digitally, printed using archival inks and papers, then enhanced with soft-colored pencil and found collage materials) offer opportunity for interpretation and pleasurable scrutiny. Why and how is a little bird trailing Sophia all the way to the ocean's floor? Who is Sophia's reassuring mermaid twin? Readers ride waves of wonder all the way back to dry land, where they find Sophia snuggled in bed with her mother. Masterful artwork and nuanced verse invite readers to hold their breath and dive deep. (Picture book. 6-10)

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