Book Review of The Aquanaut by Dan Santat

 

1.      Bibliography

Santat, D. 2022. The aquanaut. Graphix. ISBN: 9780545497602.

2.      Plot Summary

In this heartwarming story we follow Sophia who has lost her dad to the ocean when his ship is taken over by water.  She is then looked after by her uncle, Paul Revoy, a marine biologist who has a life goal to complete the work his brother died for.  When the ship when down Sophia’s dad, Michel Revoy, left his journal on the boat and it was picked up by some sea creatures.  They read about a world called Aqualand and how it is promised to keep sea animals safe and protected.  They come up with a plan to use Michel’s diving suit to get them to this new world.  We now have the Aquanaut, a suit filled with sea creatures trying to make it to Aqualand.  Once the animals find out the truth about Aqualand they quickly must find a way to set some animals free and get free themselves.  They make a friend in Sophia, and she is determined to keep the animals safe. 

3.      Critical Analysis

Anyone who loves ocean animals will find a deep connection to this book.  We have the lovable sea creatures who fill this suit; Sodapop, a crab and captain, Carlos, an octopus and engineer, Antonio, a male blanket octopus, and Jobim, a kemp’s ridley sea turtle and navigator.  In this intriguing plot we find our animals off the coast of San Deigo where they meet Sophia the daughter of Michel Revoy a famous marine biologist.  They are trying to get to Aqualand, the home of Michel Revoy’s brother and Sophia’s uncle, Paul Revoy, who is trying to save ocean animals with his research he has done with his late brother.  They found a journal from Michel stating that he creates a place for animals to live and thrive and keep them protected.  After reading the journal they decided to go find this Aqualand so they could find more animals like themselves.  This is a creative take on sea animals and their fight to survive.  You will want to know what happens next to these funny and adorable creatures.  There are many obstacles to overcome like animals being held in captivity and being scared, trying to blend in with the humans and pretend to be human themselves, and then finding a way to escape after they find out the truth about Aqualand. Aqualand is a typical theme park with rides and places to see different ocean animals.  The pictures tell a great deal about the park and the different activities that take place.  Everyone has more than likely been to a theme park so they can imagine what that looks like.  You have the classic good versus evil in this book with the good being the sea creatures and them wanting to find a way to see other creatures like them while being protected.  The evil in this story is Mr. Lula, the investor of Aqualand, who is trying to make money from the sea animals by making them do shows and hold animals in captivity.  The final scene, the sea creatures take on a sea “monster” to finally escape back to the ocean.  Sophia loves sea animals and even has a sweet exchange with the crab at the end of the story.  This bond makes you believe the Aquanaut is real.  You can see different viewpoints from a marine biologist’s view of taking care of animals and the investors point of view of how to make money at a theme park.  Santat, shows the importance of protecting sea life no matter the size and how family and what you believe in is the most important of all.

4.      Review Excerpt(s)

"An endearing tale of love, loss, and the value of family -- biological and found." -- School Library Journal

 

"The art in this graphic tale is something special... Santat's vividly expressive visuals are, even more than usual, riveting." -- Kirkus Reviews

5.      Connections

*I would challenge students to write a persuasive paper on whether they believe animals should be held in captivity or if they should be in the wild.

*I would have the children create a comic strip explaining a view they feel passionate about, trying to persuade the reader to join their cause.