I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. This might be my new favorite book of the year. Fox goes deep to discover a glow-in-the-dark plant and discovers so much more and helps a whale along the way. Gorgeous illustrations too.

The story here is about Fox, who goes for a walk along the beach with his cousin, Wolf. Along the way, a seagull overhears their conversation about plant life (a passion of Fox's), and asks if they've heard of the constellation of the deep, an elusive luminescent underwater plant. Fox is excited to try and find it, and gets his scuba gear and equipment to go try to find it, while Wolf stays behind to look at the various creatures found on the shore. In each case, a visual and text list of the gear and the creatures is given, but no other information is provided. As Fox dives through the underwater world, we get another list of plant life, with only names, no pronunciation guide or descriptions listed. At one point he loses his camera and helps a whale caught in a net, finding his camera stuck in the net with various pieces of trash. The whale helps him return to the beach, but he's sad that he never found the plant. While Wolf is reviewing the photos Fox took, he finds a picture Fox didn't take that turns out to be the plant Fox was searching for, apparently taken when the camera hit the ocean floor.
The art in this book is really gorgeous, with lush scenery and vibrant colors, I loved that part of the book. The story was good, though the ending was a bit abrupt, and it would have been nice to have either a glossary at the back, or explanations included within the illustrations of the different things listed, especially pronunciation on some of the harder words. This would've increased the educational aspect of the book, and added more interest to the story. I would still recommend it, but it will require some further reading to learn about the things listed.

#NetGalley

"Constellation of the Deep" portrays the story of Fox as he sets out to find a glowing plant that he has heard of, which lives in the depths of the sea. Guided and helped by other sea creatures, Fox explores the sea but loses his camera and fails to find the glowing plant. When he locates his camera, he discovers that it has recorded a photo of the glowing "constellation of the deep."

The colored illustrations form the main attraction of this story that includes some science concepts. The scientific names of the plants that were included were difficult to pronounce, and could distract readers from the story. Finally, the story ended abruptly and seemed to lack depth, leading to a disappointing book for young readers and their families.

I received this book from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

Flouw does a great job of describing the ocean depths and taking readers on an underwater journey. The story follows Fox who is looking for the constellation of the deep. With the help of some underwater friends, he may make an incredible discovery. The only critique I have is that some of the underwater plants mentioned are difficult to pronounce and may confuse elementary readers. Overall an exciting read with great illustrations!

As a certified scuba diver, myself, I am thrilled to see children exposed to the amazing things found underwater. This book is about Fox and his quest to find the constellation of the deep. As he looks, he meets many new friends that assist him in his search. He finds numerous plants, fish, algae, and other exciting parts of the ocean. While he doesn’t find the constellation of the deep (which is said to glow in the dark), his day was filled with new adventures and many new friendships.

I enjoyed the book. The only negative I noticed was the vast number of items listed in subcategories. The names are difficult to pronounce and were merely listed as things Fox saw. No explanation as to what they were and how they looked accompanied them. There was a general block with all the items listed on the page, but I felt this was inadequate. I think it would be beneficial to not list so many items or in the alternative identify the name with the picture. Otherwise, the story is fun and informative. The illustrations are fun and colorful. Even though the ocean is blue, the illustrator brought different backgrounds out in each picture.

This is a good book to have in the library and for any child interested in learning about the ocean.


I received an ARC from Penguin Random House Canada/Tundra Books through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

I recently read The Golden Glow by this author and I really loved it. This book was the same way for me. This time we went under the sea. We got to see different types of scuba gear used and we got to see different sea life. I enjoyed getting the two additional characters of Wolf and Otter. I'm not a huge fan of Wolf and Fox looking more like animal head on human bodies, but I love the stories so much that I'm willing to ignore how much I don't care for it. Despite how those two characters are drawn, the illustrations are beautiful and very colorful.. The big reveal of the flower in The Golden Glow showed us a beautiful, brightly colored flower. I'm curious to see how the constellation of the deep shows up in the print version of this book. I'm considering using The Golden Glow for a program and the flower is a big part of why I want to use it. I hope the constellation of the deep stands out in the same way as that flower.

Constellation of the Deep is a picturebook written and illustrated by Benjamin Flouw that is currently scheduled for release on June 8 2021. Fox loves nature, and enjoys discovering strange and fascinating plants. He especially loves the seaside, and often walks the salty coastal trails with his cousin Wolf. One day, Seagull tells the two about an especially interesting underwater plant called the constellation of the deep. According to Seagull, it grows on the bottom of the ocean, but no one knows exactly where, and it glows in the dark. Before long, Fox has donned his diving equipment, including a wet suit, a snorkel, a diving mask, fins and more, and sets off on an underwater quest to find this incredible plant. Along the way, Fox observes many different kinds of ocean life, like crabs, starfish, algae and an amazing array of corals. He also comes across some underwater friends who try to help guide him to the elusive plant. But Fox despairs when he loses his camera -- even if he finds the constellation of the deep, how will he capture this amazing discovery?

Constellation of the Deep is a fun story of adventure and exploration that also delivers some interesting information about shoreline and marine life. I liked that the importance of the proper gear and safety measures were included in the story, as were the wonders and dangers of such a journey. I thought the depiction ad naming of a variety of plant and animal life was very well done in the context of the story, and think that some interested readers will go back after the first read through to get a better look at some of them. I think adults that have the chance to read this with the young people in their lives will enjoy it just as much as the younger readers.

Constellation of the Deep is a beautifully illustrated picturebook that just might inspire young readers to have a greater understanding and interest in nature, particularly ocean life.

Benjamin Flouw highlights the beauty and expansive diversity of the oceans on our planet in this gorgeous, informative picture book.

Fox and his cousin, Wolf, are walking along a beach path. Fox is fascinated by all the plants he finds. Then a seagull, overhearing their conversation, tells the pair about the Constellation of the Deep, a rare ocean plant. Fox determines to find it. He puts on his diving suit and makes sure to bring his underwater camera. While Wolf is admiring seashore life, Fox heads off into the ocean. He traverses different kinds of ocean habitats. He explores underwater meadows, kelp forests, coral reefs, mountains, deep holes and underwater cliffs.


He asks different animals about the rare plant and eventually a grouper agrees to show him where it is.


Whether or not it is the Constellation of the Deep, they certainly discover something. Just when Fox is about to take a picture, he realizes that his camera is missing.

On his way home, Fox rescues a whale trapped in abandoned fishing nets. In turn the whale helps him return to shore.


There is much I love about this book. I appreciate the environmental focus. I like the pages of labeled diagrams naming the different plants and animals found in the different habitats.


On my first read I was a bit distracted by Fox's journey from a kelp forest found in cooler waters, to a coral reef found in much warmer temperatures. As soon as I let go of this quibble, I appreciated Fox's fantastical journey across and into the different oceans of the world. I ended up admiring how much the author teaches us about ocean stewardship in this picture book.

Benjamin Flouw states that he begins by sketching out ideas and then finishes them up in photoshop. He mixes geometric shapes, patterns, textures and light to create images that range from peaceful to dramatic.

I discovered that this is a sequel to The Golden Glow, a story of Fox heading out on a search for a rare land plant.

I wonder where Benjamin Flouw will send Fox next?

This cute, whimsical story will sure to delight. The colourful illustrations make the sea interesting and engaging for readers. The story is easy to follow and provides a sense of wonder along with much imagination. Readers are brought along on Fox's adventure under the sea. My little nieces squealed in delight when Fox rescued Whale. A nice feature of this book is the identification pages provided throughout. Little readers can learn the names and spellings of various items found along the under sea adventure. The placement of words is nice as well as easy to read for emergent readers. This is a story that I will be buying for my little nieces on publication day: June 8th 2021. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

In this gorgeous follow-up to ‘The Golden Glow’, we follow Fox - and his cousin, Wolf - in search of the ‘constellation of the deep’: an amazing plant they’re told grows on the bottom of the ocean and even glows in the dark! Fox sets out on an expedition that turns into an unexpectedly beautiful visual exploration of the ocean, but does Fox ever get to see it? Take a deep-dive as he searches for the elusive plant, but finds so much more than he thought he would: including a whole lot of seaweed, lots of colorful coral, and even a new friend - plus a little miraculous magic along the way. I absolutely love Flouw’s stunningly illustrated, color-filled, underwater world! So beautiful, and just nonsensical enough.

A beautifully illustrated story about Fox, who goes on an adventure to find the constellation of the deep - a bioluminescent sea plant located at the bottom of the ocean. This book is excellent for young children who love stories about the ocean and conservation and includes diagrams of diving gear, various sea plants, and corals. Unfortunately, a book about the ocean is not complete without mention of the catastrophe of trash that can harm or kill sea animals; this book shows Fox helping a whale caught in netting and trash. A great story and adventure tale. Sure to generate interest in the deep.

This book follows the journey of a fox through the ocean as he sees different wildlife and plants. The illustrations for this book are quite beautiful. I especially love the pages that highlight all the different species that are found at each part of the ocean. The plot was a little choppy at times but the illustrations carry it. I do wish the main characters were people, but the Fox and Wolf work okay. I would recommend for a class who is studying the ocean and different wildlife.

I love the illustrations of this book. The story however, feels like it goes nowhere. Fox does accomplish his mission of taking a picture of the glowing plant at the bottom of the sea, but there seemed to be so many missed opportunities where Fox could impart a lesson that seemed to be missed.

Sometimes our adventures don't go exactly as we plan but that's not always a bad thing. I enjoyed this story and illustrations. I liked learing about different sea life while Fox goes exploring. The illustrations are bright and vibrant.

Adventures don't always turn out the way we plan, and the same goes for this fox's scuba dive to find the constellation of the deep. The pacing of the story was excellent, especially considering how smoothly the learning opportunities to discover and identify different underwater species was worked into the narrative. Moments like that will be great for keeping children's attention, in addition to the unique art style! The only way this book could have been better is if it had dug deeper into the ocean pollution discussion that the whale presented to the story. That moment felt glazed over because the fox found his camera, which was actually part of the pollution problem the whale was wrapped up in. Other than that, this was a lovely read!

This is a cute book about a fox in search of a phosphorescent plant on the ocean floor. Though the illustrations are quite engaging, I think the book could be improved with labels on some of the pictures. I was a science teacher for many years and I still could not identify all of the corals, plants and algae.

This book is full of beautiful illustrations of Fox’s adventure in the ocean. He comes across many sea creatures and plants as he searches for the underwater constellation. This would make a great bedtime story!

With beautifully bright and colourful illustrations, this picture book takes readers on an adventure under the sea with Fox to learn about the creatures under the waves all while seeking out the constellation of the sea. Fantastic read!

5 stars

I read this book to my four and six year old. We all loved it and they thought the pictures were “like a shining star”. Love how it teaches the words for the items fox found from his diving equipment to the animals. I also like how it mentions the garbage in the ocean without ignoring it or breaking from the story. All in all I’m glad we read it together.

The artwork is beautiful, colourful, and captivating while offering a glimpse into marine life beneath the ocean's surface. Otherwise, Constellation of the Deep doesn't have a great storyline for readers to follow.