Koala has a question for her friends – what colour is the sea? But they all give her different answers, and Koala doesn’t know who to believe. Owl suggests she finds out for herself. Koala sets off for the sea, only to discover that all her friends are right – the sea is no colour and many colours. A beautiful tale of discovery and perception.
Katie Stewart is an author and illustrator. Born in the north of England, she came to Australia at the age of nine. She started her working life as an archaeologist and ethnohistorian, went on to teaching and then to being a mother. She later worked in a school library, but her lifelong dream was to be what she is now. She is married to a farmer, has three children and lives in Western Australia, where her love of animals means she has a lot of pets and takes lots of nature photos. In her spare time, she tries to play the harp or wanders the countryside with a metal detector amusing the neighbours and occasionally finding an interesting piece of history.
This lovely story has a text that is beautifully complemented by wonderful artwork as Australian animals seek an answer to the, apparently obvious, question, “What Colour Is The Sea?” Reading it in Scotland, I had to do my own homework to find out more about animals such as the spiky Echidna (NOT an antipodean hedgehog as I initially thought!). This book provides a fun way for both children and adults to learn about nature and science in the context of sharing a story together.
The koala asks Australian animals what colour the sea is. All animals reply back with a different colour and the koala learns that the sea can be different colours. It can also be clear.