Although Castles in the Sea is a book about icebergs – how they are formed, how they travel, and how they eventually die – the text reads like poetry. From the very beginning (“Far away, in a land too cold for forests”) author Lawrence Jackson paints wonderful images with concise sentences and descriptive language. His frequent use of similes (“pack ice can look like a sea of broken dishes”) and personification helps the reader visualize the different types of ice and icebergs. The unique watercolours on silk created by Newfoundland artist Diana Dabinett complement the author’s word pictures. Extending the artwork to the endpapers immediately immerses the reader in the topic.

What’s nice about this book is that it works on several levels. For the younger reader, the factual narrative is told in clear, simple language with comparisons to everyday objects, as in icebergs that “can be as small as a treehouse or as big as a skyscraper.” For the older reader who may be doing research, numerous sidebars are filled with more detailed information about icebergs, glaciers, and scientific investigations. While the sidebars are full of facts and figures, they never overwhelm the page. Pastel blue for the background of the sidebars and plenty of white space for the main body of the text make each spread appealing to the eye.

This is the kind of book that one wants to look at and read over and over again. And, like poetry, it should be read aloud.