World Aquatic Animal Day is celebrated throughout the world on April 3. A day to increase awareness of the creatures that inhabit our oceans and the need to protect them.
My son, Cliff, and I have always enjoyed and treasured the ocean. We have snorkeled in various places – even the Great Barrier reef in Australia – and marveled at the colorful fishes and coral. We love walking on the beaches and often search for shells. We enjoy swimming in the ocean and catching the waves – whether body surfing or on a board. And we have kayaked with dolphins along the California coast.
Inspired by this love of the ocean, Cliff, and I have co-written a rhyming picture book called Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep At Night? Our hope is that as parents or siblings read the book to young children – or they read it themselves – it will spark interest in the creatures who live in the deep blue sea.
Most people have heard of a Humpback whale, or a dolphin, or an octopus. But how do they sleep? With beautiful illustrations by famed illustrator Ruth Harper, the book explains:
A bottlenose dolphin can jump very high
Its long back arches up toward the sky
It rides waves and plays with friends
Its mouth seems to smile from end to end
A dolphin’s rest is not very deep
because only one side of its brain is asleep
The other side stays awake and aware
So the dolphin remembers to always breathe air
Hopefully, these examples – from sea otters to turtles to parrot fish to walrus - will be of great interest to young people and help them appreciate sea life.
Courtesy of Simmons Books
Authors Clifford R. Simmons and Steven J. Simmons with their books | Illustrations by Ruth E. Harper
Our book also emphasizes the importance of sleep – as just like the ocean creatures need sleep to have energy – so do young children so they will be able to learn and be ready for the next day’s activities.
We encourage parents to read books about underwater life to their kids; enjoy documentaries like The Blue Planet together as a family; visit local aquariums; and of course, a visit to the beach is always a fun time.
These experiences and special moments enjoyed together while your children are young will instill a passion for adventure, a thirst for knowledge, and will create an increased awareness of the value of our environment and oceans, which cover just over 70% of our planet.
Cliff, and I experienced one such special moment together while snorkeling that we’ve shared in our book:
A stingray glides through the water with wings
And a long tail it can use to sting
When asleep a stingray buries in sand
With its body flat like a large fan
There it lies hidden, except for its eyes-
To keep watch while it stays in disguise
It was an amazing experience to be floating on the water and watch! So here’s to protecting our oceans and those who live there.
To learn more about Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? and other creatures books by the authors, visit simmonsbooks.com. Excerpts provided by Charlesbridge. For a free Where Creatures Sleep workbook and activity series, you can download a copy HERE.
About the Authors:
Steven J. Simmons has been a professor of law and government, a White House aide on domestic policy, and a leader in the cable industry. He has five children and six grandchildren. His love of storytelling was inspired at a young age by stories his mother created about a character known as Mrs. Blueberry, who would dress in all blue and go on adventures with the children. Steven is also a sculptor and has previously sculpted aquatic animals, including dolphins and stingrays. Steven is the author of Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night?, and the best-selling Alice and Greta: A Tale of Two Witches, and coauthor of Where Do Big Creatures Sleep at Night?
Clifford R. Simmons' lifelong passion for writing and love for his nieces and nephews fuels his enthusiasm for children’s books and co-authorship with his father, Steven. He is the youngest of five siblings and has a sense of pride from working with his father as he has always looked up to him. Cliff formerly worked at Google and now runs his own business. He is the co-author of Where Do Big Creatures Sleep at Night?