See What a Seal Can Do

Seals might look as though they just laze about on the beach, but underwater, it’s another story entirely, explains Butterworth in this intimate study of a gray seal as it moves from the shore to the sea depths: “Seal slips through the seaweed forest—big eyes searching the gloom. His sharp ears hear dolphins whistle and a ferryboat’s engine chugging.” Several small captions appear on most pages, offering incisive descriptions of seal characteristics and behavior. Debut illustrator Nelms’s naturalistic mixed-media spreads feature a light-infused garden of sea grasses and coral; readers should find the seal, with his marbled gray skin and soulful, puppylike expression to be irresistible. Ages 5–9. (Aug.)