Find Me on the Coast in the ‘Find Me’ series, award-winning Jess McGeachin takes us on a tour of coastlines around the world, discovering all the fascinating diversity we will find there.
We begin by taking the winding path to the beach where we can find all sorts of environments: muddy, sandy, salty, rocky. There are different shaped shells, one with a hermit crab who has made a home inside. We follow the footprints of different shorebirds: the oystercatcher who can pry a limpet off a rock with its beak and the curlew whose long, curved bill is built for poking into the soft mud. A turtle heaves up on to the beach to lay her eggs. We see the differences between low and high tide. As the tide recedes the rockpools come to life, perfect nurseries for young animals. There are fish, an octopus, sea anemones and urchins.
Jess McGeachin is a gentle storyteller, leading us around the world, introducing us to different coastal places like sandy seabeds, kelp forests where weedy seadragons hide, mangroves, rocky outcrops where seals lounge, cliffs where puffins nest to the abundant life where rivers meet the sea.
He does not shy away from a brief environmental message, ensuring we pick up rubbish and understand that our climate is changing our coastlines.
McGeachin’s beautifully soft hand-painted watercolours match his words perfectly. His love of the environment, its diversity and the animals who live in it radiates off the page. It makes you want to share this passion.
Reviewed by Jane Stephens
Age Guide 4+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jess McGeachin grew up in regional Victoria where he spent lots of time in the local library pouring over well-loved DK eyewitness books.
He has fond memories of visiting the old Melbourne Museum where his mum worked as a scientific illustrator, meticulously drawing strange sea-creatures in glass jars.
Jess studied Communication Design at RMIT and worked as a graphic designer before turning his hand to writing and illustrating picture books.
He loves telling stories about hidden places, like the underground world beneath your feet or a secret library waiting to be found. His books include Frankie and Fossil, The Lost Library, Deep and Fly.
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