Cover Image: Constellation of the Deep

Constellation of the Deep

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Member Reviews

A beautiful exploration in the ocean. The colors are vibrant, the art is beautiful, and the sections with items is a great pause to talk through the what’s what of diving, animal life, and coral.

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This book was beautiful with engaging content that was also educational. My four years old son loved the story. The only thing that was off-putting was the imagine of a fox and wolf dressed up in diving suite and sitting around a table talking. I would have preferred if the main characters were human. I think that would have made the story more approachable.

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Look. If I had kids, they would own this book. I am obsessed with the ocean, particularly the deepest parts of it. You won’t find me swimming in it, but I am fascinated by the creatures that inhabit Earth’s waters, and this book is a fabulous introduction to many of them.

We follow Fox and Wolf on their seaside and subsequent deep sea adventure. Little ones will learn about diving/scuba gear as well as many of the creatures that live in the ocean. Plus, the art is super cool. I love the style, illustration, and explanations of all the types of plants and animals.

It’s not out until June, but keep it in your radar as that’s the perfect time for beach season and the perfect fun, learning opportunity for kiddos.

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I was granted access to an early eARC of Constellation of the Deep by the publisher, Penguin Random House Canada, in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley. Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada, author Benjamin Flouw, and the NetGalley platform for this opportunity.

Constellation of the Deep is the story of cousins wolf and fox who are out for a stroll on the coast when a seagull tells fox about a glowing constellation that can only be found deep in the ocean. Fox suits up for a scuba dive to find this mysterious constellation while Wolf explores the coastline sealife. Fox discovers all sorts of fascinating sea life on his search.

I absolutely love the art style in this book! This illustrations are gorgeous. I enjoyed how every time one of the characters assembles or discovers a set of items the book presents a full two-page spread of all the items, clearly labelled. I can see this being a great book to take to the beach with kids to try to find all the same things Wolf looks at on the shore, or to read to kids before a trip to an aquarium to prepare them for all the things they should look out for. This book also has important things to say about the dangers human garbage disposal poses to ocean life.

I'll be sure to let the primary grade teachers in my family know to look out for this title when they go shopping for the start of the 2021/22 school year!

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Fox loves nature and takes you along on adventure as he heads into the ocean to search for a very special plant. Along his journey he experiences the beauty and the vastness of the ocean. And he makes some great memories too. The illustrations are vivid and at times educational as Fox identifies plant and animal life in the ocean.

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"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This was a beautiful picture book. It did a good job of blending story with factual information. Great for little learners.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this one. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. The text moves along well and matches the pictures well. I hope that they add a pronunciation guide before publication for the scientific plant and animal names. This book would be a great stepping off point to exploring photos of these things in the real world or discussing garbage/plastic issues in the ocean.

Overall, gorgeous illustrations, good book. I'd recommend to read this with your children where you can discuss more.

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A gorgeously illustrated journey into the sea. This story follows a fox searching for the constellation of the deep. The fox encounters different types of life that are identified throughout the book. I liked how curious and kind the fox was during his journey. The text is a little awkward/advanced at times, but overall the story is pretty neat. This would be a great book for aspiring oceanographers!

Thank you Tundra Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

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This book is beautifully illustrated and has a wonderful fantastical storyline that is endearing. I love that you can play identification and association games with your little one as you read this book because there are a lot of opportunities to do so throughout. For instance you can learn to identify diving equipment, marine life, algae and corals. Absolutely wonderful for little ones as an introduction to marine animal and plant life.

*Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for this Ebook in exchange for my honest review

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The illustrations in this book were beautiful. Kids who want to learn more about the ocean and some of the plants in it will appreciate this book.

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Beautifully illustrated book about the wondrous glowing organisms at the bottom of the ocean. The book tells the story of Fox, who scuba dives into the deepest portions of the ocean to find a glowing organism.

The book teaches readers about types of coral, types of diving equipment, and ends with Fox saving a whale from ocean plastic.

The plot isn’t great, and the plastic pollution bit seems just thrown in. But the book is so beautifully illustrated and the topic of oceans is so fascinating that this book works.

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What. A. Treat. Constellations of the Deep is exactly the type of children's lit that is worth the money and space on our home shelves! The children's books I love best are ones that my kids enjoy, are pleasant and easy for me to read aloud, have inspiring illustrations, and teach my kids something whether moral or otherwise. This book ticks all those boxes for us.

First of all, I was sold at the mention of Wes Anderson's Life Aquatic movie in the description, though it was the similarity in the cover art that grabbed me. No way, I thought, no way is there a kid's book so precious as that! The art, color pallette, fonts, vocabularity, and characters are all reminiscent of Wes Anderson's style. To paraphrase a quote from the movie, THIS BOOK IS AN ADVENTURE.

But more than that, the content of the book is excellent! We follow two friends as they explore, and Fox as he goes for a deep dive into the ocean. The dialogue is simple enough for a pre-reader to follow but sprinkled with colorful vocabulary to challenge their spongy little minds. Every few pages includes a layout of ocean items with their names that were a joy to read and discuss with my pre-schooler. We loved the pages of underwater plants.

I can't wait to get a physical copy! Thank you Tundra Books and NetGalley for an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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Constellation of the Deep is a beautiful marine tale that pairs exquisite illustrations with a clear, effective text that will delight and inform young readers. The art is the best part, showcasing an angular style that's particularly effective, especially in the more expansive images that highlight the vastness of the sea or sky. The text is whimsical but educational, with details like types of coral and names of sea algae. All in all, it's a beautiful picture book that should delight young readers with an interest in sea life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tundra Books for the advance review copy!

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| <a href="https://spasciuti.com/review/constellation-of-the-deep-benjamin-flouw/">Read on Reader Fox</a> |
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<em>"Fabulously fascinating!" exclaims Fox.</em>

I am <em>so</em> immensely pleased that this book exists. Benjamin Flouw's <em>Constellation of the Deep</em> is such a simple story with a pretty clear purpose, but even better it is presented so masterfully. Now, I personally <em>adored</em> this book, but I recognize that probably all children will not. That said, it's an absolutely mesmerizing story that takes young readers on a journey of learning alongside a plant-loving fox.

<b>I requested this for the fox.</b>

It's not really surprising that what pulled me into this story was the fact that the main character was a fox. I was mildly curious about the underwater constellation aspect of it, which pulled me in via the title, but my end decision to read <em>Constellation of the Deep</em> was based solely on the kind of animal the character was.

I think if your child loves foxes they might have the same reaction I did.

Wonderfully, <em>Constellation of the Deep</em> is an incredible text that teaches all about the different plants of the ocean. The best thing about this book is that it offers insight that could educate adults as well as children. I've always been a <em>huge</em> fan of children's books that I can come away having learned something from and<em> </em>I'm so excited that this is one of them.

The plot, overall, is very simple. But the best part about it is that the story sends wonderful messages. First of learning about plants and the ocean, and second of caring about ocean pollution. The only thing that Flouw could have done better was to make everything a little more exciting for his no-doubt antsy readers.

<b>Foxes and Colors</b>

Ah, the artwork in this book is so gorgeous. The characters are very human-like in their shape, which I'm not the biggest fan of but I think it works well for the story Flouw is telling. Beautiful colors are peppered throughout this book, keeping everything vibrant and engaging for any kid flipping through its pages. Different kinds of ocean plants are depicted throughout. I recall being quite impressed by the bit about all the different kinds of coral one might be able to find in the reef.

<b>A Wonderful Book</b>

Honestly, the only thing I would change about this book would be to increase the excitement level. As wonderful as this book is, I don't foresee it being one to hold every child's attention simply for the fact that it is a very slow exploration book. I think there was ample opportunity for some wild-ness to occur and the book still could have told the same wonderful story while also imparting the knowledge.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

This review will be live on the Reader Fox blog on November 4, 2020.

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This attractive and exciting book was wonderfully written with juicy language and vivid images amid wonderfully informative snapshots of ocean life. I particularly like the character choice of fox and wolf as they are not normally associated with the ocean. This book will hold an adults attention and create wonder in children.

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A curious dive into the plants and other life that inhabit our oceans in a quest for the fabled “Constellation of the Deep”.

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Constellation of the Deep, by Benjamin Flouw is a lovely picture book about Fox, who wants to explore the ocean, and Wolf, his cousin, who supports him. Fox is on the hunt for a glowing plant at the bottom of the ocean. Along the way, he meets several animals, rescues a new friend, and takes some wonderful photos.

This book is beautifully illustrated, in a style that makes you want to look more carefully at each page. There are labeled illustrations of various pieces of equipment, sea creatures, and plants that are sure to be fun for any young ocean explorer. The text is a little stilted, though whether that is the fault of the translation it is difficult to say.

A lovely addition to the library of any young reader, particularly those who love the smell of salt air.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC!

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