The Forest in the Sea

Meet an unlikely climate change hero: the wet, slimy stuff known as seaweed.

Short Listed for the Green Earth Book Award

Imagine forests where you can float weightlessly among schools of fish. Huge green pastures where sea turtles graze. Forests that capture carbon from seawater and breathe out oxygen. The answers to many of our planet’s problems may lie underwater, in these forests of seaweed.

Celebrated nonfiction author Anita Sanchez takes readers on a tour of seaweed forests, from the Sargasso Sea to seaweed patches off Prince Edward Island, to explore how seaweed supports marine ecosystems and plays a big role in climate change solutions. From reducing methane emissions to advances in biofuels, medicines, and more, seaweed science is at the forefront of innovation.

Written with beauty and wonder, The Forest in the Sea encourages readers to think outside the box when it comes to climate change. Back matter includes recipes, activities, ways to identify and help protect seaweed, and more.Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on.

Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection★ "This engaging entry in the Books for a Better Earth series tackles an impressive variety of topics. . . . The conversational writing is casual and captivating, and the appealing elements of colored text blocks, fascinating asides, and carefully condensed chapters makes all the information easily digestible. . . . An inspiring and expansive introduction well worth diving into."—Booklist, Starred Review

★ "Conversationally addressing readers, Sanchez adeptly conveys fascinating facts (“seaweed is as different from land plants as a bird is from a fish”) about her subject. Short sentences, accessible vocabulary, lively comparisons (e.g., drawing parallels between sea and avian predators like sharks and hawks), and revelations—like learning that seaweed affects even those who don’t live right by the ocean because it sustains air and water and provides food—will keep readers absorbed.... Fact-loving, sea-loving, science-loving, and just plain curious readers will find much to chew over here."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"A fascinating work about the importance of a seemingly simple life form with a gigantic impact, this is a strong choice for middle grade collections."—School Library JournalAnita Sanchez is an award-winning children’s nonfiction author. Her books have been named Junior Library Guild selections and have received many recognitions including, the William Allen White Master List, Cook Prize Honor Book, SONWA Award Notable Book, Finalist for AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books, and the American Horticultural Society “Growing Good Kids” Award. She lives in upstate New York.