PICTURE BOOK REVIEW: Else B. in the Sea by Jeanne Walker Harvey & Melodie Stacey
ABOUT THE BOOK
Else Bostelmann donned a red swimsuit and a copper diving helmet and, with paints and brushes in hand, descended into the choppy turquoise sea off the coast of Bermuda. It was 1930, and few had ventured deep into the sea before. She discovered a fairyland six fathoms below the surface—fantastic coral castles, glittering sunbeams, swaying sea plumes, and slender purple sea fans. And fish! Flashy silverfish, puckering blue parrotfish, iridescent jellyfish.
Else painted under the sea! She painted what she saw with her own eyes, and, back on land, she painted the never-before-seen deep-sea creatures described by world-renowned scientist William Beebe on his momentous 1930s bathysphere expeditions for the New York Zoological Society’s Department of Tropical Research. It was a daring and glamorous adventure and a dream come true for Else B., who shared this new, unfathomable world with humankind.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR
Melodie Stacey is a fine artist and illustrator whose work can be found in the picture book Beautiful Useful Things: What William Morris Made. She lives in Brighton, UK.
REVIEW
One of the things that I love about reading picture book biographies is learning about people I've never heard of doing interesting things. Else loved to paint and after 20 years as an immigrant, wife, and mother, she pursued her dreams by accepting a job painting the wonders of the deep as a part of William Beebe's deep sea explorations. To research sea life she wears a copper helmet and dives among the coral reefs off Bermuda. She even develops techniques for painting underwater and discovers how different purple and red look under the sea. After all her research she uses Beebe's notes from his dives to paint the creatures he describes. Harvey's poetic text tells the remarkable story who found the courage to follow her dreams at a time when many would say it's too late. The lovely illustrations beautifully highlight the remarkable places and creatures that Else saw and painted. The back matter gives more detailed information about Else and her work. A photograph and images of two of Else's original paintings are included. A wonderful reminder about the power of dreams and the amazing world still waiting to be discovered.
SAMPLE ILLUSTRATIONS
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