In Great Carrier Reef, debut picture book author Jessica Stremer and seasoned illustrator Gordy Wright (Sharks: A Mighty Bite-y History) tell the fanfare-worthy true story of a superhero of an inanimate sort: a human-made vessel that comes to the rescue after underwater changes wreak havoc on marine life.
Sea creatures are suffering: their ecosystem is breaking down due to overfishing, pollution, and warming waters. They need "something solid./ Something mighty./ Where new life can take root/ and thrive." Scientists spot the solution in a retired aircraft carrier: "Its massive size will offer marine invertebrates, sea squirts,/ and mollusks a large surface to grow on." Workers prepare the USS Oriskany, also known as the Mighty O, for its new job: "Oil and fuel,/ poisonous to marine animals,/ are drained from pipes, pumps, and tanks," and so on. The Mighty O is tugged to Pensacola, Fla., and explosives ("KABOOM") send the ship down to its new home. "Hours later,/ divers descend and discover" that marine animals have indeed made their way to their new host: "Urchins parade across/ the former flight deck" of what is now the world's largest artificial reef.
Matching the subtle poetry of Stremer's writing is Wright's gouache and acrylic art, which juxtaposes the ship's rugged, industrial look with that of colorful, relatively delicate sea creatures. Illustrations featuring the submerged vessel call to mind still lifes from The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. Great Carrier Reef is a tale of real-life suspense (from 2006, according to the book's back matter) that makes a counterintuitive point worth acknowledging: sometimes artificial means are necessary to keep the natural world running smoothly. --Nell Beram, freelance writer and YA author