The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs: The Story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation

by Kate Messner, Matthew Forsythe (Illustrator)

All it takes is one:
One coral gamete to start a colony
One person to make a difference
One idea to change the world

The ongoing efforts to save and rebuild the world's coral reefs--with hammer and glue, and grafts of newly grown coral--are the living legacy of Ken Nedimyer.

Kate Messner and Matthew Forsythe tell the true story of the coral restoration pioneer in this brilliant tribute to the wonders of nature and the power of human ingenuity.

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Biography, Science, Childrens, Nature, Animals

48 pages, Hardcover

First published April 3, 2018

About the author

Kate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, both Lake Champlain historical novels published by North Country Books.

Kate lives with her family on Lake Champlain, where she loves to read, write, hike, swing on birch trees, and eat chocolate. She also hangs out in various places online.
Visit Kate's website: http://www.katemessner.com

Find Kate on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KateMessner

...or follow her on Twitter - @katemessner

Reviews

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve always been interested in marine biology and in coral reefs so this book was my cup of tea.

This is a beautiful and interesting book.

The illustrations had me diving right in. They’re gorgeous and immersive. The only thing I was not a fan of was people’s faces straight on. Everything else drew me in.

This is a great book for kids because it shows how one person can make a difference and also shows how kids can make a difference. The story is interesting, both the biographical and nature aspects of it. Ken Nedimyer’s accomplishments are a worthy subject for a book about coral reefs. And I really appreciated learning how people, including young people, can help save coral reefs. It’s inspiring.

I was very grateful for the additional information, with more illustrations, at the end of the book. I was especially glad that it reveals a bit more (not quite enough for my tastes) why the coral reefs are dying. Hint: though it is a complex process it’s mostly humans misusing the ocean and the ocean’s inhabitants. I was happy to see that Jason Chin's book Coral Reefs is one of the reference books listed in the back. It's another good book about this subject.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dunno. I am extraordinarily depressed about the world's inaction about the environment as evidenced by the direst possible October 2018 United Nations IPCC landmark report:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/cl...

I also just last night saw First Reformed, the powerful and devastating film Paul Schrader wrote and directed (featuring Ethan Hawke) in one sense about a pastor's interaction with a despairing young man whose wife is pregnant, who asks the pastor, How can I bring a child into this world, knowing that the environment will almost definitely profoundly come to a certain level of devastation in the coming decades (and no, not in centuries):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCF5Y...

But I kind of needed to read this hopeful--if not fundamentally optimistic--book that perfectly embodies this quote from The Unnameable (1953) by Samuel Beckett, itself written after the Holocaust and Hiroshima:

"I can't go on. I'll go on."

Kate Messner lives on Lake Champlain. I read and loved her picture book Over and Under the Pond which takes a close look at a lake above and below the surface. This book focuses on a climate change hero of today, Ken Nedimyer who in the face of coral reef devastation, is figuring out how to regrow it, and maybe get it to adapt to higher temperatures. I'll just say I want to believe it can happen.

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Along with its stunning cover and brilliant illustrations, this book tells the story of how one scientist tries to rebuild the world's coral reefs.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Ken Nedimeyer was a boy, his father's job at NASA meant living in Florida, and, for Ken, that meant exploring the ocean.

Influenced by underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, Ken learned how to scuba dive and as he swam around the ocean, observing the world of fish and sea stars, he also began noticing the beautiful coral reefs in the Florida Keys.

Made up of countless tiny sea creatures, Ken found them to be just beautiful, and wanted to know everything about them - how the reefs grew so large, why they were different colors and shapes.

But, one hot summer, Ken noticed that the reefs were beginning to lose their color, and the sea urchins, who made sure algae did overtake the coral reefs, were beginning to die, and consequently, so were the massive coral reefs. But Ken just didn't know what to do for the dying reefs.

As an adult, Ken operated a rock farm in the Florida Keys, growing rocks full of sea life to help keep the ocean water safe and healthy for the other forms of sea life. One day, a coral colony spawned and attached itself to one of Ken's rock on his farm. And it grew! So Ken and his daughter began attaching corals onto other rocks and they also grew.

If you could grow corals on rocks, Ken wondered, could you transplant them onto a dying reef? Ken decided to test out this theory. Ken founded a group called the Coral Restoration Foundation, staffed by volunteers. As the corals grew, the volunteers transplanted these coral colonies, attaching them (with glue) in places on the reefs where they hoped the corals would take hold and flourish.

Did the transplanted corals survive? Yes, they did and now Ken's group travels around the world, teaching others how to grow and transplant healthy corals in order to save their dying corals.

Messner begins and ends the The Brilliant Deep with one tiny coral spawn and how it can grow into a new colony. And what feels to be a simple story in between is in actuality a wonderful lesson about ocean life. Readers learns how coral reefs are formed, why they are important to the not just the ocean's environment, but also to ours, and that sometimes, it takes just one person with an idea to make a difference.

The Brilliant Deep has been a favorite of my young readers right from the beginning. Not only is it interesting and informative, it is also quite beautifully illustrated. Forsythe's colorful, batik-style, gouache and watercolor washed illustrations are done in a watery pastel palette of mainly blues, greens. and sunny yellows give the perfect effect needed for a book about the ocean and its colorful reefs.

Messner cleverly brings the story of coral reefs and the story of Ken Nedimeyer full circle with to a satisfying ending that connects them back to the beginning of the book - spawns to coral reefs, a young boy to the man he became. She also includes more information about coral reefs in the back matter, including ways kids can help, online ways to explore attempts to save the coral reefs, and vocabulary words used through the book.

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Chronicle Books

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today's picture book biographies are simple incredible. This may be one of this years best. Awesome (as usual) writing by Kate Messner and magnificent illustrations by Matt Forsythe. An amazing, inspiring story. A must have book.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs: The Story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation I watched the video of Kate Messner reading this on YouTube and loved the book! She has such a way of making non-fiction sparkle, it feels almost lyrical, yet she also conveys a wealth of information. This story is beautiful and inspiring and educational. It immediately brought to mind an episode of Reading Rainbow ("Dive to the Coral Reefs") with a "reef doctor" who was rebuilding the coral reefs but it is a different gentleman: Meet the Reef Doctor - Scientist Harold Hudson, "The Reef Doctor" works with Paige and Elizabeth to transplant coral from one underwater location to another. Would pair nicely with this book, even though the RR episode is from years ago. In any case, highly recommend Messner's book.

[Kristi Starr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would rate this book closer to 3.5. The artwork is beautiful; Matthew Forsythe has done, as expected, an amazing job illustrating this book. The key to appreciating the book is to focus on the subtitle: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs.

This is the story of Ken Nedimyer, a conservationist focusing on rebuilding coral reefs around the world. You will find little about the causes that necessitate rebuilding, though inferred in the text and somewhat addressed at the end of the book. You will find allusions to problems such as the disappearance of sea urchins. Again, other than a line in the end notes about what "some scientists think" in regard to the role of sea urchins, the issue is raised but then dropped.

Also somewhat perplexing is the coral reef vocabulary. Several of the words defined are never used in the text (exoskeleton, polyp, gametes), while other potentially unfamiliar words (invertebrates, epoxy) are not explained. That said, the additional information - "What happened to the coral reefs?" / "How can kids help?" - "Read more" - "Explore online" - "Articles" - can be helpful in filling in the gaps not addressed in the text.

Again, if you focus on Nedimyer's concepts for rebuilding reefs, you will encounter exactly what you expected. If you want a deeper explanation about the challenges facing the reefs, their ecosystems, and other solutions, you won't really find it here.

[Sarah Krajewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes I loved the beautiful language and illustrations, but I just couldn’t stop thinking of my own eight-year-old son, a future marine biologist. I saw him within these pages. ❤️

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Artwork is great. It's nice to find a non-fiction book at picture book level, but I think this may be a bit content-heavy for the age range. I just don't think the text is written in a way to make it very accessible to the target audience.

Still, for tots interested in sea-life this would be a good choice.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Brilliant Deep is partially about Ken Nedimyer, the founder of the Coral Restoration Foundation. It tells about his passion for the sea, and the process he used to transplant healthy coral to dying and shrinking reefs in order to help them thrive again.

(When I read this it instantly reminded me of an episode of Reading Rainbow, in which I clearly remember watching scuba divers gluing coral to rocks. I looked it up and that episode featured a different "coral doctor" than this book, but it appears that the idea is the same.)

But this book is also about how one person can make a difference, and how growth and multiplication of a good thing can help turn the tide (no pun intended) of something bad. The stunning artwork blends so many colors together in a way that conjures up what it must feel like to be surrounded by the dazzling and diverse shapes and colors of living coral. Just as the colors meld together to form something amazing, this story can remind us how interconnected all of life is.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Home to one of the most diverse collections of life, coral reefs are known as the rainforests of the sea. Although they cover less than two percent of the ocean bottom, it is believed one quarter of all ocean species depend on them for food and shelter. (Ocean Portal Team, Smithsonian. "Corals and Coral Reefs." Ocean Find Your Blue, Smithsonian, April 2018, ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates....) They are vital to life on our planet but they are dying.

There are champions recognizing the danger of the diminishing coral reefs. They are working tirelessly to renew these valuable places in our oceans. The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding The World's Coral Reefs: The Story Of Ken Nedimyer And The Coral Restoration Foundation (Chronicle Books, May 8, 2018) written by Kate Messner with illustrations by Matthew Forsythe portrays the life of one of these champions.


My full recommendation: http://librariansquest.blogspot.com/2...

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very interesting and positive! Unlike many books, it can report on a person who has started a foundation to physically help seed more Coral Reefs, which seems to be doable and successful. The book showed specifics on how to plant polyps when mature enough to re plant and start new reefs. It is essential and fascinating work, and the book is fascinating as well. I loved that the 3 books listed in the bibliography were by 3 of my very favorite nonfiction writers (Chin, Gibbons and Seymour Simon)! The illustrations in this book are very interesting and informative and complement the text well. Highly recommended since it is a very recent book. I"m going to check out those 3 bib titles but they are somewhat out of date.

[Alice Biggerstaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was used on SBT2 on world book day/week. It is a great nonfiction book based on true events, relaying real facts on what is happening in today's coral reefs and the reality of coral reef loss. It gives out important information on how we can save coral reefs while telling the story of Ken Nedimyer and his mission to save coral reefs. It is an extremely well illustrated book and is very colourful. Each page has a small amount of writing enabling the reader to appreciate the pictures as well as not becoming too overwhelmed with the amount of writing.

[Deborah]

This book is as gorgeous as a living coral reef. Inspiring, important, beautifully written nonfiction—which we've by now come to expect from Kate Messner.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Follow your passion. A lovely example of how one person CAN make a difference.

[June · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hopeful story of a boy who loved the ocean and has grown up to try and save the world's coral reefs.

[Marianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could edit this book, I would change not one word nor one brushstroke. Lovely.

[Bekka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really useful in a program about coral reefs. While I appreciated learning about Ken Nedimyer, I felt that the overall focus on seeing a problem with the environment and taking action to try to fix the problem and the focus on coral reefs as a whole were the most impactful aspects of the story.

[Elen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated book detailing one man's plan to save our coral reefs. Provides some quick background information about reefs, tells how Ken Nedimyer came to be interested in reefs, a glossary and provides hope for their future.

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Award-winning children's author Kate Messner (The Seventh Wish) and acclaimed Canadian artist Matthew Forsythe (The Gold Leaf) have teamed up for the children's non-fiction title, The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs: The Story of Ken Nedimyer and the Coral Restoration Foundation. A pictorial biography as well an introductory examination into conservation efforts of coral reefs, The Brilliant Deep is a fascinating true story brought to life by beautiful artwork.

The Brilliant Deep begins in the water, with one coral illuminated and the words "It begins with one". Messner takes readers on a brief look at the spawning of corals: how "corals begin to spawn- releasing first one, then millions of tiny lives", and that if one "is lucky" and not eaten or washed away, it "lands in a place where it can grow...[beginning] a coral reef". Messner then switches to a summarized look at Coral Restoration Foundation founder Ken Nedimyer's childhood, and how his love of swimming and exploring the Florida Keys reefs spurned what would become his lifelong captivation and passion for protecting and restoring reefs. Messner balances some tricky work here: as the story turns to follow Nedimyer as an adult, there is a significant amount of terminology and (necessary) explication of Nedimyer's experiments of growing and planting coral colonies. However, Messner makes it work smoothly, particularly with the repeated emphasis on how it takes just "one", and the neatly woven narrative circle that the entire story makes from coral back to coral. It would be absolutely remiss not to mention how stunning Forsythe's artwork is here, as his golden and blue/green-toned artwork masterfully captures Messner's narrative and allows the reader to actually 'witness' steps involved in coral restoration. You can get a sense just from the selected images (in full blog post) how rich and ambient Forsythe's illustrations are, whether invoking Nedimyer's childhood seeing Jacques Cousteau on the television, with his array of aquariums or (not pictured) seeing hands gently apply glue on coral. The last few pages of The Brilliant Deep include links to organizations, books, and articles that readers can further explore; a succinct note about coral reef decline and protection; how to help/get involved; as well as a select set of vocabulary definitions.

Overall, a timely, mesmerizing and truly interesting non-fiction children's title that has multiple ways of being enjoyed (and used!). Thinking of books like Hello Hello or Bloom, one can see that children's titles (whether categorized as picture books or more strictly non-fiction) are exploring and offering up tremendous scope of topics for children (and adults). Children's book efforts on conservation are blossoming and the possibilities for education and literacy (in schools, in libraries, at home, etc.) is exciting. Messner and Forsythe have, with The Brilliant Deep, added a very strong (and beautiful!) title to the booming roster of children's biographical and science books- a title that might spark readers to learn even more about the Coral Restoration Foundation and Ken Nedimyer's legacy of conservation.

News note: Here is a link to a May 16, 2018 news article about Ken Nedimyer stepping down from a leadership position with the Coral Restoration Foundation.

I received a copy of this title courtesy of Raincoast Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and comments are my own.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although readers will need to look elsewhere for a deeper discussion of the reasons behind the demise of the coral reefs described here, this is still a solid introduction to the topic as well as providing evidence that one person with enough determination and passion can make a difference. Yes, this is the story of coral reefs and the effects of global warming, hinted at in part of the text, but it's also the story of Ken Nedimyer whose love for the coral reefs in Florida gave rise to his attempts to "farm" coral and then transplant those pieces to other locations where they can be attached and continue to grow. This success story is fascinating, filled with great descriptions and details that will encourage readers to learn more and to want to do their part to help. The text draws readers into the story so that they feel as though are right alongside Nedimyer and his volunteers, the Coral Restoration Foundation, holding their breath to see if everything will work out. I especially loved this quote, "Then, with a careful dab of epoxy--just the size of a Hershey's kiss--volunteers attach the coral colonies. Piece by piece, arm by arm. Hoping they will grow on their own" (unpaged). This is pretty amazing stuff, and the back matter includes a glossary, more information about what might be killing the ocean's coral reefs, and a photograph of Nedimyer. This book is a vivid response to any naysayers who claim that one person cannot make a difference in the world or solve its environmental problems. Maybe not, but Ken Nedimyer and his friends are doing their best to try.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this children's biography about Ken Nedimyer. The art, by the talented illustrator Matthew Forsythe, was gorgeous and Kate Messner's writing was the perfect mix of poetic and informative. I will be offering this book up as a suggestion all over the library - you like fish? "The Brilliant Deep." You want a science-y father/daughter duo? "The Brilliant Deep". Ocean love? Curiosity about the coral reef? It works.

Nedimyer is the founder of a group called the Coral Restoration Foundation. It's a devoted bunch of optimistic, hard-working volunteers working to rehabilitate the reefs. I didn't know about the foundation and before the book — frankly, I didn't know the coral reefs were in danger. It was a real eye opener of a time.

While I often wish I were more of a science person, I am very much a book/pop culture/cross stitching person and therefore I lack a lot of basic knowledge about stories like these. Despite that, this was very accessible; the mix of science and storytelling was perfect while the illustrations complimented the prose and helped to created a dreamy atmosphere.

[Lindsey Zalewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It starts with one." The first and last line in this beautiful and heart-wrenchingly relevant piece of literature. Off the bat I would say this book is tailored towards older elementary (3-5) into middle school. This book holds so much value and curiosity, as well as heartbreak and sadness about the state that our coral reefs hold in the world right now. Because of this being a true story, it demonstrates a genuine process of engineering and problem solving that many students could use as an example in their learning. Using this book in elementary grades (with more recent science curriculum) to demonstrate and discuss the process that engineers and scientists go through to solve problems in our world would create stimulating discussions that would hopefully prompt further exploration of the students. In middle school classrooms I can see this being utilized efficiently in a Biology class for similar purposes- but bringing it to higher levels of understanding. As an adult I read through this book and the extra resources- what can we do about all of this?- and was absolutely drawn in by the illustrations and the genuine voice behind the words that were written.

[Stephanie Bange · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It starts with one..."

This amazing picture book biography begins and ends with this empowering, yet simple sentence. Ken Nedimyer was a boy growing up in Southern Florida and watched as the coral reefs off the coast began to die. He decided to take action and established a foundation to restore corals to the reefs.

Messner's engaging text is uncomplicated and direct as she follows the life of Ken as he grows into manhood and fatherhood, making the ocean his life's work. She gets straight to the point, then moves onto the next. Matthew Forsythe's artwork is equally simple, almost primitive in nature. It has all the colors of the ocean in them and adds visual details that help clarify concepts for young children.

Backmatter in the book includes a paragraph of why the coral reefs are dying, how kids can engage in helping to save them, a short bibliography, a few websites to view and a short glossary of terms.

Great for STEM and encouraging others to be proactive in helping to save our world.

Recommended for PreSchool - grade 4.

[Gary Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Messner’s nonfiction picture book The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World’s Coral Reefs wraps the science of coral reefs around a biography of conservationist Ken Nedimyer. Young readers will easily understand Messner’s clear explanation of a natural coral reef’s growth process, although the human-assisted grafting process for establishing a new coral reef is more complex. The biographical treatment of Ken Nedimyer emphasizes how his professional commitment to coral reef conservation began with boyhood curiosity. Matthew Forsythe’s pastel illustrations convey both the vibrant colors of a healthy coral reef and the fading glory of a coral reef as it begins to die. The back matter provides more details about coral reefs and a “How Can Kids Help?” section with suggestions for becoming involved in coral reef restoration.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ken Nedimyer grew up exploring and loving the coral reefs around the Florida keys. But slowly they began to die. As an adult, Ken operated a live rock farm in the Florida Keys. One evening a nearby coral colony spawned and a few of those spawns attached themselves to Ken's rocks. Because they grew on his live rock farm, the law said he could keep them.He and his daughter found that they could cut off pieces of these corals and they would grow more corals. They wondered if they could replant these corals on a dying reef. They tested it out and found that slowly the reef began to grow. All because ONE person decided to make a difference.

Messner includes a bibiliography, a glossary, background on why coral reefs are dying and how kids can help.

Both illustrations and text are engaging and made me want to read more.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the cool things about this biography is that it's about a living person who is still working to save the coral reefs.

Another cool thing about this books is that it provides concrete information about how the work is done and how a child or adult could participate and help re-build the coral reefs.

One thing we need to remember is that this is only part of the solution for saving our reefs. The plastic problem, chemical run off, oil spills, and even just touching the reefs with our hands have negative impacts.

A person could spend a whole year of school or a lifetime on this topic. I can imagine a school year built around this with stem programming, invention creating, beach cleaning, and ocean animal study. Even sound and music, art, writing, reading . . .

[Carol Royce Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I give this book five stars not just because of the writing and beautiful artwork, but because of the topic. Having taken an oceanography course several years ago with a professor who had a deep concern about global warming and its effect on the ocean, I learned about the coral reefs, and even did a presentation on the decline of the reefs. However, I never learned of Ken Nedimyer and the work that he has been doing to rebuild the reefs to bring them back to their former beauty.

This book is a great inclusion to your non-fiction library, in fact I have a group of fourth grade boys that I think are going to be fascinated by it.

[Penny Peck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dramatic color illustrations, that use a soft-focus style perfect in depicting the underwater environment, are matched with an engaging text about a scientist and his work. Beginning with Nedimyer's youth in Florida, where his father worked for NASA, readers will relate to his interest in the ocean and science. That interest resulted in his life-long mission to save the coral reefs, by figuring out a way to regrow coral by "planting" coral grown and nurtured on rocks. The process is explained clearly and simply, and back matter adds more information for primary graders just learning about coral. A book that will empower young readers to try to help the environment.