9 Books Like What the Wild Sea Can Be

This book opened my eyes to the ocean world and its huge significance for the future of our planet. In scratchy font across its black cover, it read: “To industry it’s tin, aluminium, oil, gas, sulfur, iron, coal, phosphorites, manganese, diamonds and gold. To fisheries it’s £3,000,000,000 per year. To military and political interests, it’s battlefields and missile bases. To you and me it’s a breath of fresh air and a nice place to make a splash.”

These words resonated with me as a young PhD student of ocean science in Canada. It was the early 1970s. We were optimistic. The UN had just adopted a resolution that stated, “the seabed and ocean floor…are the common heritage of mankind.” The book may be out of print, but its message is as vital as ever.

This is an enthralling tale of first-hand research at sea, of perilous work in the ‘screaming 60s’ around Antarctica, and the sheer delight and humility gained from making new discoveries in a world so few have ever seen and where exploration is still in its infancy.

I have experienced exactly that thrill and awe. My own research specialty is the deep ocean–the shape of the seafloor and the stories of sediment swept in to cover it. Alex Rogers is a leading specialist in marine biology, so I was intrigued to read his account of The Deep. Most importantly, Alex explores the ocean’s impact on all our lives, the dramatic effects of our use and abuse of the seas, and of what we might do to mitigate unnecessary damage in the future. Thought-provoking!

This utterly beautiful introduction to the ocean world–in all its power, mystery, and intrigue–captivates me every time I open it. The photography is stunning, jumping out from large-format double spreads, and the illustrations are eminently informative. It brings to life the startling richness of the marine world, from microplankton to baleen whales, from top predators to camouflage specialists. It explains tides and waves, coral reefs and hydrothermal vents, water chemistry, and ocean zones.

Personally, I love the spreads that focus on ocean art. At home, I always have a large coffee-table book that I can dip into. Because I loved the style, scope, and up-to-date science of this one, I agreed to play a very small part as a specialist contributor. But that does not influence my recommendation.

Beyond the intrigue of scientific study, for me, the sea has always been a place of living poetry – sparkling, changing, and dramatic in equal measure. This mesmerising poetry collection by Nobel Laureate, Pablo Neruda, together with his Stones of the Sky, is an all-time favourite of mine.

In August 1991, I sat on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, across from Neruda’s oceanside home in Chile’s Valparaiso, and watched the most vivid, enchanting colours of a setting sun, fuelled by atmospheric ash still lingering from Mt. Pinatubo’s violent eruption many weeks before in the Philippines. Neruda’s poetry captures such earth and ocean dramas with such vibrancy. For poets and scientists alike, I cannot recommend it highly enough.

In this book the people and families of a human penal colony on a water-covered alien world are driven from their homes and into open waters after offending the indigenous alien species.

Out in the planet-wide ocean on a flotilla of ships, they encounter bizarre creatures and odd experiences. As the community falls apart, individuals come together, but ultimately, they will find that the planet itself is guiding them towards total unity.

This book will make you consider the bond between all living creatures, the need for forgiveness and progress forward, and succumbing to what is inevitable.

This charming book gives a very comprehensive overview of the life and breeding cycle of the Emperor penguin. And it does so in simple - but entertaining - language, making the information very accessible for younger children. The large, graphic illustrations on each page are very eye-catching, and are sure to engage young children. (Even younger than the recommended age range for this book.) While this book talks about the many challenges that both parents face during the long breeding season, it focuses more on the male penguin’s job of incubating and protecting the egg while his mate is off at sea for two months. (The next book on this list focuses on the female penguin’s job during the breeding season.) Best for ages 4-8.

This captivating book details the female Emperor penguin’s extraordinary journey during the long breeding season. In gorgeous prose - that includes detailed information very rarely found in other children’s books about this species - author Sandra Markle shares remarkable insights about the many challenges faced by the female Emperor penguin in preparation for raising her chick. This includes a long trek across sea-ice to the open ocean, where she hunts for two months to fill her belly with food for her soon-to-be-born chick. The beautiful illustrations help young readers visualize the many different aspects of her journey. I can guarantee that nearly every adult who reads this book with their children or students will also learn many details about Emperor penguins that they didn’t know before. Best for ages 4-8.

As a fan of the Magic Tree House series, I love the way that this nonfiction book weaves great information with illustrations and photographs in a fun-to-read format. This title will be a hit with animal lovers, whether they are curious about the daily lives of penguins in Antarctica or why krill are so important to the food web here. Adventure seekers will revel in the daring exploits of explorers from the past. They’ll also learn about what it’s like to visit Antarctica today. The additional resources in the back of the book looked terrific and made me want to explore more of this frozen continent.

This wonderful book is informative, very comprehensive, and visually stunning. It covers everything from the first recorded penguins, to their locations, their feeding and breeding behaviors, their predators, and the various threats to penguins - both historically and in the present. But this is in no way a dry, “just the facts, ma'am” book about penguins. The scientific information about penguin biology and behavior is told in a very engaging way, and it is enhanced by absolutely gorgeous and lifelike watercolor illustrations. This book provides a thorough, age-appropriate overview of the lives of penguins, and is one of my favorite books for both the content and the beautiful illustrations. Best for ages 7-10.