Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep

Else B. in the Sea is a poetic picture book biography honoring a daring and pioneering woman artist that combines themes of art and science. Else Bostelmann donned a red swimsuit and a copper diving helmet and, with paints and brushes in hand, descended into the choppy turquoise sea off the coast of Bermuda.

It was 1930, and few had ventured deep into the sea before. She discovered a fairyland six fathoms below the surface—fantastic coral castles, glittering sunbeams, swaying sea plumes, and slender purple sea fans. And fish! Flashy silverfish, puckering blue parrotfish, iridescent jellyfish. Else painted under the sea! She painted what she saw with her own eyes, and, back on land, she painted the never-before-seen deep-sea creatures described by world-renowned scientist William Beebe on his momentous 1930s bathysphere expeditions for the New York Zoological Society’s Department of Tropical Research.

It was a daring and glamorous adventure and a dream come true for Else B., who shared this new, unfathomable world with humankind.

"A hugely appealing story," said Booklist in a starred review of this lovely picture book biography from author Jeanne Walker Harvey and illustrator Melodie Stacey. "Readers will feel as if they have taken the plunge, too."

© 2024 Abrams Books for Young Readers (Ebook): 9798887070681

Release date

Ebook: 4 June 2024