“When I was young the world seemed too dangerous. Everything was too hard. Places were too far away. I was too young. But that was okay because I had a big imagination…”
Synopsis
Jill Heinerth is an underwater explorer, a cave diver, and someone who has faced fear and felt the excitement of discovering new worlds. Inspired by her childhood memories. Jill tells a story about a girl who feels too young, too little and too far away from her dreams. In spite of this, the little girl finds creative ways to explore, meet new friends and have big adventures.
#MelAndNikkiReview
The Aquanaut is an inspiring story of how you can be anything that you want to be. It is about building your self-esteem and know your own possibilities. You can’t help but feel empower and the illustrations transport you between childhood and then the reality of this child. It was so beautiful to see the comparison of her words and then showing it applied to her adult reality. It shows that dreams can come true.
For this #MelAndNikkiReview we give this book 10 starfishes out of 5! Absolutely love the back and forth between childhood and adulthood. The illustrations are breathtaking and really helps transition the back and forth beautifully. We also loved the bonus at the end with the Author’s note and photos from her grand adventures under the sea.
After the story, you can discuss with your children what dream they have and explore their imagination. We did that and it was amazing to hear all the dreams that Nikki has for herself.
“I love how the character thought she was too young to do anything. But she did so much. Now she does what she loves by exploring the world in the sea. My favorite part was when she said she wanted to fly and she does. Swimming in the water is liking flying.” – Nikki, Age 6
Let your imagination expand and let it lead you to your possibilities!
This book is great for children ages three to seven. If you would like to purchase this book, click here.
About the Author
Jill Heinerth is a cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer and filmmaker. More people have walked on the moon than have been to some of the places Jill has explored on Earth. She has written a memoir entitled Into the Planet; made TV series for the CBC, the National Geographic channel and the BBC; consulted on movies for directors like James Cameron; and produced documentaries, including We Are Water and Ben’s Vortex. Jill was inducted into The Explorers Club and the inaugural class of the Women Drivers Hall of Fame. She is also the inaugural Explorer-in-Residence for The Royal Canadian Geographic Society and the recipient of Canada’s prestigious Polar Medal and the NOGI award, the diving world’s highest honor from the Academy of Underwater Arts and Sciences. When not traveling, she lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
About the Illustrator
Jaime Kim was born and raised in South Korea and now lives in North Carolina. Although she was a timid child who was afraid of just about everything, she discovered a sense of serenity in drawing. As a grown-up, Jaime finally stopped being afraid of everything but kept on drawing and painting. She works with gouache, watercolors and acrylics to create nostalgic and dreamlike illustrations inspired by childhood memories of her family, as well as movies, art and the outside world. Her favorite things are the sun, the moon, the sky and stars – which is why they always creep into her artwork. Her debut picture book, Take Heart, My Child, was a #1 New York Times bestseller.
Until next time…Happy Parenting!
-Momma Braga
*Please note that this book was provided in exchange for a honest review and we do not make commission off of book sales. All opinions expressed are our own.
