This is the most stunning book I have ever seen in my life. The illustrations are completely immersive and I fell in love with each of the stories so completely. I am looking forward to buying this book as a gift for the little ones in my life.
- gorgeous colors
- beautiful illustration
- engaging stories

This beautifully illustrated book introduces children to mythology and folklore from the sea. I particularly appreciated the layout, which featured a clear and easy-to-understand content page. The book is divided into several categories, including "Creatures of the Sea" and "Stormy Waters," with each category containing 5 to 6 entries. For instance, the "Stormy Waters" section covers topics like sea weather lore and waves and whirlpools.

Each entry includes a short story, such as "Arion and the Dolphin" and "Sinbad the Sailor and the Roc." Although the stories are brief, they fit well with the overall flow of the book and are perfectly suited for a younger audience.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this one - but it's a very accessible almost encyclopedic book of different myths, legends and lore. I'd think this is probably geared toward middle grade readers - it's definitely wordy and covers off on things like mythology, pirate lore, nordic/celtic tales, and other mythological beings/places. I really appreciated that there is a sampling of tales and lore from a wide variety of cultures and geographies, yet they are grouped and woven together in a way that is logical and really tells a story.

The illustrations are gorgeous and tie together the text on the page. I think even the page designs with text flowing with the illustrations is really well thought out and makes the book itself very visually engaging while digesting different stories and mythology topics. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC to read/review.

This is such a fun and informative compendium of folk lore, tall tales, and myths about the ocean! The illustrations and design are beautiful. The little tidbits of information are extremely concise and easy to read, but still very educational. I liked the occasional extended stories.

This beautiful book brings together the stories and wisdom from diverse cultures and centuries all around the globe. It can be read together over many evenings and repeated again and again. Some of the legends are familiar to some cultures today, and there are so many more that will be new for us grandparents as they are to the children. I find the ebook form interesting and colorful, but the print copies are absolutely brilliant and a much better size to read.
The illustrations by Stacey Rozich are fluid, detailed, and brilliantly colorful.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of ANY age (not only 6 to 12) including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected proof copy in Adobe Digital Editions provided by Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions, via NetGalley. Thank you!
#LoreoftheDeep by Claire Cock-Starkey @NonFictioness illus. by @staceyrozich @TheQuartoGroup @wideeyeded #Folklore #Legends #Global #NetGalley

As a lover of the ocean, this book really called to me, and I'm so glad I got a chance to dive into this!

A beautifully written book discussing the creatures, myths and stories surrounding the sea, this book is the perfect book for a little explorer in your life - incredible knowledge delivered alongside beautiful art work that makes every story a joy to your eyes.

highly recommend this for anyone with a passion for the sea!

(thanks to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC for review!)

Interesting and beautiful. The art depicted in this book is gorgeous and the information on different mythologies is quite fascinating.
There were many Gods and Goddesses I had never heard of before. Their vast variety is truly astonishing and made me want to do more in-depth research.

This is a delightful collection of short stories, mythology tid-bits and folklore from countries and cultures all over the world. It goes from all different kinds of sea creatures, to pirates and ships, and even natural weather phenomena, to name a few.
There is a lot to read on the page but young bookworms may enjoy going back and rereading the stories and descriptions after looking at all the paintings. There’s also a nice glossary for some of the very big words. The artwork is beautiful and it feels like it takes you on a journey right to the bottom of the ocean.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a cute book! Lore of the Deep is full of folklore and myths about the ocean! Each page is beautifully illustrated. It also features longer stories that rang from 2 to 4 pages. If you're a fan of the ocean or if you know someone who is I recommend you check out this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A fantastic children's book that is chock full of beautiful artwork and a huge range of cultural myths and legends and information. We even were given easy to digest information on where some myths originated from and how many cultures view the sea itself.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this Advanced Reader Copy.

Lore of the Deep is chock full of gorgeous illustrations. The art paired with the very interesting folklore makes for a rather enjoyable experience. Will make a request for this at my local library!

Thank you so much to the author and netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchance for an honest review. All thoughts expressed here are my own.

This was such a fun and informative read about the mythology surrounding the oceans, pirates, sea creatures plus many more. My favourite part about this was the vast range of cultures and mythological stories that this book included especially from indigenous cultures. Additionally, this is included in the index at the end so you can look specifically for stories and creatures from specific cultures. The story is split into six chapters and each one starts with an extended story from a different culture before going into less details about the aspects within that section. My only issue is that the font sometimes made some words seem like they were two separate ones. This book is perfect for young kids wanting to learn more about the mythology behind the oceans and everything in them.

Thanks to netgalley & publisher for this arc!
Even though I'm an adult really enjoyed this book and learned a surprising amount! The gorgeous illustrations and interesting facts were great. Especially enjoyed all the international different tales woven throughout. I'll def be recommending this to my friends with kids!

Beautifully illustrated, fun and informative! But most importantly, there was a wide array of diversity and cultures presented.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for this ARC.

A haunting collection of non-fiction. It is truly spine-shilling when real life is scarier than fiction. Well-organized and researched, these folktales are intriguing and educational.

Lore of the Deep: Folklore & Wisdom from the Watery Wilds by Claire Cock-Starkey, Illustrations by Stacey Rozich


Cock-Starkey plunges deep, far, and wide into the oceans and the sea in her latest Nature’s Folklore series. Putting her sailor hat on, the Lore of the Deep: Folklore & Wisdom takes the readers on a sailing adventure across the seven seas and five oceans.

Written over six chapters she introduces how the seas and the oceans were named — the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic was named by early explorers because the water there is covered in brown sargassum seaweed or how the Black Sea was named so because the overhead dark storm clouds reflected their dark colour on the surface of the sea.

Each of the six chapters begins with a folklore from different cultures; always a welcome sign in children’s book as you open them to a diverse world at a formative age. Folktales from India, China, Japan, and of Indigenous regions and people, find mention in the book, We hear about how crucial a role the sea played in rescuing people from their imminent death, of how the sea got its salt and became salty, and of course, the famous sailor Sinbad.

We visit mythical cities submerged underwater, of creatures (friendly and scary) living deep within the depths of the sea, of spirits and gods and goddesses, of treacherous journeys, of pirates and captains, of superstitions, and buried treasure. In Cock-Starkey’s eyes, the ocean and the sea are burgeoning with stories to tell the children about.

Cock-Starkey has the narrative style pat down for combing folklore with facts without comprising on the precious aspect of any lore, its magic and the lesson. In Whales, Dolphins, Sharks, and Rays, she talks about how early cultures that lived near the coast often had reverence and worshipped sea creatures as gods. While their revenant status is still question, her mention of the respect for sea creature is crucial and should be celebrated.


The illustrations by Rozich as very reminiscent of murals from Greek and Roman times — alluring and telling a story on their own, particularly the pages of Shape-Shifters of the Oceans. They add further depth to Cock-Starkey’s vivid prose.

The book, for 6-12 years old, is rich in its tapestry of mythology, lore, and facts and is perfect for those kids who are interested in the voyages of the sea.

Lore of the Deep, written by Claire Cock-Stanley and illustrated by Stacey Rozich, is a delightful book with its art, graphics, and tales about the world below the surface. Every page features immersive elements that helped to visualize the written details . The whimsical style of the art adds a fun level of depth to the storytelling, making this book a visual treat and an engaging narrative. I do think adjusting the font color, especially on the pages where the text is black, could further add to the visual appeal. Whether you’re a young or old, a fan of the sea and lore, or just enjoy pretty pictures, Lore of the Deep is a book worth diving into.

This book was so interesting. I loved the diversity of the cultures represented as well as the inclusion of so many indigenous peoples. The illustrations are stunning, swimming across the pages. The format is easy to follow, intriguing, and allows for the covering of so many aspects of sea lore. Anyone interested in folklore or even just expanding their knowledge of cultures I would highly recommend this to.

“Given the nature of the Oceans, it might no cme as a surprise that many sea gods and goddesses are wild and unpredictable.”

I loved that children’s book. Illustrations are very colorful and inviting to dream, attractive.
I read a lot of lore books these days, especially the ones for children as they don’t go too deep into the tale and are the perfect tool for inspiration.
This one was a bit more, though. It alternates thematic presentations of creatures and myths and short stories, which makes the book a perfect tool for children while they are learning how to read: they can read the short tales with their parents as a bedtime story, and try to read the little descriptions in the other pages by themselves.
I appreciated the fact that the book presents folklore from all around the world. I didn’t know some of them, and it made me want to dig more about it.
I saw it’s a series (there are 4 other books), and I’ll definitely read the other ones, before gifting them to my nieces and nephews to make them dream and learn about different cultures.

Thank you to the authors, Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions and NetGalley for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

A beautiful dive into folklore from all around the world. The stories were well told for the most part, and the illustrations were absolutely beautiful.
I wish there had been a few more stories that went into more depth (like the Sinbad one), as there were a lot of tidbits that it would have been nice to hear more about.
I also found the font hard to read at times, as the spacing between letters and between words was sometimes not clear.
However, I really loved reading this book and I learnt a lot of new things.