My daughter loves learning about the world, leaning more toward informational books, and this delivered! The images are whimsical and beautiful while also demonstrating what is being explained. I'll be looking into more books by Moira in the future.

What enthralled me about this book first is the beautiful illustrations and colorful book. Really a feast for sore eyes. And this treasure of a book contains information on ocean as well as some stories from some oceanic part of the world such as Caribbean and Philippines. Also including fact about how ocean and moon intertwined. A must read and must have book.

In Butterfield's The Secret Life of Oceans, Tia the sea turtle introduces young readers to the oceans of the world. From currents and weather to animals large and small, this little book is packed with cool facts and sea folklore from around the world. Not only is it informative, but the art is gorgeous and attractive to little readers (and big ones!). Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to the Netgalley & Quarto Publishing for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. A lovely juvenile nonfiction book follows Tia, the turtle, as she travels the ocean and learns about all the other animals there, too—lots of great information and bright colorful pictures.

This is a stunningly beautiful and informative educational book for children, which teaches children what life is like for the beings who live in the oceans.

The illustrations are gorgeous and colourful, and there is a lot of knowledge and information on sea beings, including little stories which will warm your heart, and keep your children entertained for ages.

My daughter and I absolutely loved this book, and we recommend it highly, as it is so amazing!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

I came to this a little surprised to see such a book coming from Happy Yak, but quite quickly found the same decent delivery, and the same approach to catering for very young audiences. It's a sort of 'my first ocean biology' book, allegedly delivered by a turtle guide. We see other turtles (one so handily defined as being as long as a shopping trolley), before branching out into other things – the layers of sea life, superlative critters (and their vocals), the tides and currents, even a Filipino legend. The even younger reader gets a thing to be spotted on most pages, it all looks perfectly presented with good artwork, again with the usual Happy Yak ethos, and I couldn't disapprove of anything (the alleged weight of a family car notwithstanding).

At first, this looks like a hodge-podge of information about the oceans, with a few folktales, descriptions of various ocean wildlife, a map showing the oceans, and more. Actually, there is a good amount of information on oceans, presented in a way to appeal to younger children, and illustrated with brightly colored cartoonish artwork that may have been done using gouache. The book is narrated by Tim the green turtle, who takes the reader through the book, describing his birth on a beach, and other facts told in a story-like text. Often there is a clue on each spread as to items to search for in the illustration. Report-writers may not find enough on a single topic to use for homework but it makes a nice browsing item. Since many students in California live near the ocean, this will be popular for recreational reading.

The Secret Life of Oceans written by Moira Butterfield with art by Vivian Mineker is a stunning and informative picture book that will inspire appreciation for the wonders of the oceans in all readers. Every beautifully detailed page is filled with bright colours. The educational writing is fun and approachable.

This book is a unique collection of fascinating facts and little stories from oceans around the world. Our guide is the adorable and friendly Tia the Green Turtle who shares her knowledge of the oceans and some of the amazing creatures that live in them. Tia begins the book by introducing us to turtles (green sea turtles can swim as fast as a car! Leatherback turtles can dive to depths over 3,300 feet!). We are introduced to many sea creatures from the very huge (the blue whale is the largest creature on earth while sperm whales hunt giant squid!) to the tiny (krill which look like transparent red prawns and the octopus wolfi which is only 1 inch long!)

We also learn the names and locations of the oceans and the depths where certain animals live, their various habitats, and how they communicate with each other. The author even teaches us about animal migrations, sea weather, and geography! The book ends with an important section educating readers about the dangers that humans pose to sea creatures and the need for us to preserve the environment and encouraging readers to actively engage in conservation.

There are also five brief and interesting ocean life folktales from around the globe. These tales from Siberia, Africa and the Caribbean, Fiji, England, and the Philippines illustrate the fantastical interactions between sea creatures and humans in fascinating and memorable ways!

I love that this book is jam packed with information! It’s fairly short but effectively and efficiently conveys a wealth of knowledge without being overwhelming. Butterfield’s kid-friendly writing is simple and approachable. I love how she sounds out large or difficult words so that they are pronounceable. I am an adult but I learned so many new things! More importantly, I never felt like I was being bombarded with facts or being preached to. I also like that we have Tia the turtle guide because it makes the learning experience relatable and fun for children.

I can’t stop gushing over this book’s beauty! I can’t wait to purchase a physical copy so I can sit in awe of Mineker’s amazing illustrations. Every eye-catching page is filled with movement and life. The sealife is depicted brightly and wonderfully with unique and distinct facial expressions. They are all instantly recognizable and so many are very cute! I love all the thoughtful little details. I particularly love the folk tales illustrations. I also really enjoyed the finding game aspect of the book and I loved trying to find the hidden animals or objects on the pages. This is a great way to encourage active participation in reading!


🐢🐢🐢🐢🐢 out of 5 green sea turtles!

My daughter absolutely loved this book - she's fascinated by the ocean, and highly enjoyed reading this with me and learning about different things.

Wonderful information about the fauna of the sea in words and illustrations to teach all of us as much as we can absorb. Included are five sea related legends from various parts of the world.
Brilliantly colored illustrations by Vivian Mineker Chen amplify the informational texts. I don't know if it was the author or illustrator who came up with the creative format that appealed to this grandma, son, and his fifth grader, but it's a real winner! The text is appropriate for reading WITH another, by a reader, and even ESL. Excellent for gifting and to donate to the local public library! Loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Quarto Publishing Group/Frances Lincoln Children's Books/Happy Yak via NetGalley. Thank you!

Explore the oceans with Tia the Green Turtle!

Starting with dangerous dash from her nest to ocean, Tia takes us on an tour of the lifecycle of a green turtle.

With facts on their anatomy, their predators, the other turtle species & lots of their other ocean friends, 'The Secret Life Of Oceans' is a wonderful introduction to the marine world for little naturalists.

Covering topics like migration, echolocation, tides & currents and rock formations in an easy-to-learn and accessible way, alongside bright, bold and colourful illustrations throughout the book.

Also briefly highlights the threats to our turtle species, and how we can help save them from extinction.

A wonderful addition to your young naturalists bookshelf!

Thank you to NetGalley & Quarto Publishing Group for this DRC

This book is so beautifully illustrated, and a fun nonfiction read for kids. Tia the turtle teaches more about the ocean and shares different cultural stories about how the ocean became the way it is, along with actual facts about the ocean. I think overall this book is very cute, and that kids will really enjoy reading it.

It sucks to give this rating but I feel I have to - for the sharks.

I feel they already have enough of a bad rep to contend with, without being shown as the terrible enemy of the ocean.. on the same page where the "cute turtle" is shown hunting a poor jellyfish - but that okay, that doesn't make the turtle bad.

Exacerbated by the follow up fictional tale about a shark who's a big bully. Ugh 😔

Without that, it would have been an absolutely beautiful, bright book.

Absolutely fantastic! I run a backyard summer camp and for each theme week, I pick out corresponding books. The Secret Life of Oceans will 100% be an “Under the Sea” week read and I know it will be a huge hit! My campers - ages 2-8 - will all fall in love with the bright colors and adorable sea creatures and I love how PACKED this book is with information! Not only does it cover habitats and specific characteristics of sea creatures but folk tales about the sea from different cultures are peppered amongst the facts as well. Such a well rounded book! I love how the book has different segments contained within each spread, meaning that while of course it can be read front to back, I can also just pick it up, read a spread or two, get to other activities and then pick it back up again. This way, my campers don’t get overwhelmed with too much information at a time. Such a great resource for kids of all ages!

Thanks to NetGalley and Happy Yak Hardcover for the advance electronic copy. I was happy to read it and give an honest review.

An absolutely breathtaking nonfiction book for children. The book is introduced by a turtle named Tia, who takes you on a journey through the ocean. It’s beautifully illustrated, with a variety of tidbits of information, along with some sea tales weaved in throughout. The nonfiction text features such as text boxes, headings, captions, and diagrams allows for readers to easily follow along and not get overwhelmed with such intense information. I absolutely would add this to my classroom library when we’re researching the ocean, and my own personal library for my 4 year old to flip and learn about the turtle and the ocean. Thanks for the chance to read!

Brimming with colour, life, information and insight, this children’s book is a fascinating and valuable read!

Tia, the green turtle, is an excellent narrator and offers an enjoyable and fresh perspective. The illustrations are beautiful, colourful and engaging, and the layout of the pages is both fun and easy to follow.

The book is highly informative and tackles some tricky-to-understand concepts in a way that is digestible and doesn’t overwhelm the reader. I liked that Butterfield didn’t shy away from bigger words and instead wrote some pronunciation pointers to encourage the reader to sound out the big words themselves.

Similarly, Butterfield is able to present facts that may be difficult to comprehend, in a way that is relevant and easier to grasp. The illustrations also aid in the visualisation and conceptualisation of the information covered.

I appreciate the diversity of the information, how many topics were covered and how much of the world we got to see. Likewise, I appreciated that we were introduced to many animals and settings that often get less attention in mainstream media, but are, of course, no less deserving.

I also really liked the addition of the ‘Can you spot the…?’ game as it gives the reader a quick brain break before Tia dives back into the information.

However, I think what I loved most of all was the sense of awe that this book cultivated as it explored the aquatic wonderland that most of us see and know too little of! It is a book that inspires kindness and consideration and has some valuable takeaways for little minds.

I am also a big fan of the inclusion of information and messages about sustainability at the end of this book. It empowers little readers to make informed decisions and invites them to play their part in the protection of our beautiful oceans, not to mention all of its wondrous inhabitants.

The Secret Life of Oceans by Moira Butterfield - 5/5

The cover of The Secret Life of Oceans is was caught my attention. All the different animal illustrations, details and vibrant colors bring the story to Following the story we have Tia, the Green Sea Turtle, who guides us through ocean life around the world. I love reading stories about ocean life, knowing there is so much more to discover, and this book is fun, cute keeps my children's attention every time we sit down to read it.

The Secret Life of Oceans by Moira Butterfield will be available for purchase April 2023.

The Secret Life of Oceans is a beautifully illustrated book about our oceans, led by Tia the Sea Turtle. We love the Secret Life of Trees, the Secret Life of Birds, and the Secret Life of Bees and now we love the Secret Life of Oceans. We learned so much along the way and enjoyed reading it together and looking at the wonderful illustrations. I’d recommend this book for any ocean lover.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for the opportunity to review this book in advance of publication.

This book is absolutely adorable! The illustrations are fantastic and it is kid friendly on a lot of age levels. It is bursting with facts about the ocean, but is not overwhelming. My favorite part is that it's told from the view of a sea turtle. My kids and I absolutely loved it.

The Secret Life of Oceans is an educational and enjoyable guide for young readers, full of fascinating facts and charming stories about life under the sea. Moira Butterfield has crafted an engaging narrative that follows Tia the green turtle as she guides readers on a journey through the oceans of the world, highlighting the diverse marine life that inhabits them.

The book is beautifully illustrated, with vibrant images that help bring the ocean creatures to life. From the largest creatures on earth, such as the blue whale, to the tiniest creatures like zooplankton, young readers will learn about the vast range of life that exists under the water's surface.

The inclusion of sea folklore stories from around the world adds a magical touch to the book, making it more than just a factual guide. Tia's experiences on her travels will inspire young readers to develop a lifelong love for the ocean and encourage them to do their part in protecting the marine world.

Overall, The Secret Life of Oceans is an excellent introduction to ocean life for children, combining educational information with engaging storytelling and stunning illustrations. It's a must-read for any young nature lover or budding marine biologist.