Book Review

The Science & Superpowers of Seaweed—A Guide for Kids

By Amanda Swinimer , Harbour Publishing, $19.95

Amanda Swinimer, popularly known as the “mermaid of the sea,” has transformed the concepts from her recently published The Spirit and Science of Seaweed into a highly readable children’s book, The Science & Superpowers of Seaweed—A Guide for Kids. In easy-to-understand language accompanied by colourful photos and drawings, Swinimer describes her love of the kelp forests that flourish in the Salish Sea—it’s her place of work, or, as she writes, her “office.” She uses her deep love for the sea, seaweeds and the marine creatures she discovers to entice young readers to explore the sea themselves.

Swinimer uses icons that identify which seaweeds grow in Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic and Southern oceans. She explains the basics of photosynthesis, how seaweeds—or as she calls them, “plants of the sea”—are put together, including the blades or fronds, stipes and holdfasts. She introduces the term, “phycology,” the study of algae, which includes seaweeds. Throughout the book, she cleverly includes small sidebars that contain a “phyco-fact.” Here’s one example, “Phycologists estimate there are at least 450 species of seaweed that grow in the Pacific Northwest, with new species still being discovered.”

She describes the red, green and brown seaweed families, their individual properties, their culinary and medicinal value. She also explains the ecological value of seaweed—the amount of carbon they sequestrate, how much oxygen they emit, and how their undulating movement in the water column provides a nursery for young fish species, hides crabs and sea stars, and tempers storms. She provides examples of how plastics and other garbage can destroy marine fauna. She also offers lessons on how youngsters can collect seaweed themselves.

It’s not all book learning. Swinimer presents recipes for your offspring to make seaweed gel and seaweed bath bombs. A Mermaids’ Mineral-Rich Snack leads to an explanation of the many healthy min- erals found in seaweed.

Parents and grandparents often seek out books that will entertain and educate their young family members. The Science & Superpowers of Seaweed fills the bill. It is an excellent book to stick in your pocket when you take children to the beach, a marine park, or on your boat. From a dinghy they can view the types and importance of that undulating marine vegetation. It also allows kids to forage on beaches and learn to identify the many seaweeds that wash up on land, and the critters in a tidepool.

And I want to make that seaweed gel myself.

—Marianne Scott

Pacific Yachting Take Your Best Shot Photo Contest

Pacific Yachting’s annual photo contest is back! Don’t forget to get behind the lens this cruising season, and start submitting your best boating photos from 2023 for a chance to be featured in Pacific Yachting. Prizes will be announced in the next issue of Pacific Yachting! For contest rules and to enter, visit pacificyachting.com/photo-contest.

Deadline: December 15