As soon as I heard about The Aquanaut by Jill Heinerth and illustrated by Jaime Kim, I knew I had to have a copy!
A children’s book written by a traiblazing female cave diver and underwater explorer, illustrated by a NYT bestselling illustrator?
Yes! Sign me up.
At first glance, I thought this book would be another empowering picture book biography focusing on girl power. (Now, don’t get me wrong! This is one of my favorite types of books, but you have to admit, there are A LOT out there these days.) I was pleasantly surprised to learn that The Aquanaut is empowering in a very different way.
Instead of encouraging readers to overcome gender specific obstacles society may present them, this book gently encourages children to dream big, and to follow those dreams. Jill tells young readers about the big dreams she had as a child. Each spread detailing her dream is followed by a wordless spread with magnificent illustrations by Jaime Kim showing us an adult Jill achieving those dreams, metaphorically speaking.
The Aquanaut is the perfect pick to encourage imagination, while also reminding young readers they don’t have to wait until they’re grown to achieve all of their dreams. If they dream of helping others, they can start today!
The illustrations in this book are absolute perfection! Somehow Jaime Kim perfectly captures the comparisons of Young Jill’s dreams and Adult Jill’s achievements, while simultaneously creating the perfect calming atmosphere for young readers to reflect on their own dreams. It’s genius!
On top of being a writer, Jill Heinerth is also an award-winning cave diver, as well as an underwater explorer, photographer, and filmmaker. To learn more about her and her work, be sure to visit her website at intotheplanet.com.
Jaime Kim is an extremely talented illustrator whose debut picture book Take Heart, My Child was a #1 New York Times Bestseller. To learn more about her and her work, visit her website at jaimekim.com.
The Aquanaut officially releases next week (January 19, 2021), but you can preorder it today at Bookshop, Amazon, and anywhere else you purchase books. (Please note: These are affiliate links. Affiliate links allow me to earn a small commission from purchases made at no additional cost to you. This commission is used to maintain this site, and continue bringing content to you.)
Many thanks to Tundra Books for providing me with a copy of The Aquanaut. I am so grateful to have had the chance to review such a brilliant book!
mutuallyinclusivebooks.com 
Reading this was just lovely š
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Thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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