The relationship between the ocean and human civilization is put under a lens in this challenging panoramic depiction of a changing coastal urban environment. What begins as a harmonious pastoral depiction of human life on the seafront quickly darkens into a polluted urban sprawl of skyscrapers belching smog and oil into the water and the sky. The sustainability of city life is called into question: readers are able to contemplate, how secure is the relationship between urban development and the natural world? How can continued economic and population growth be developed in a way that promotes harmony rather than destruction over the natural world? Indeed, the issue of time is brought up by the visual narrative – how much time goes by as the world changes, how fast is too fast? The intricate panoramas of the changing urban scene do not exert their moral stance over the reader – rather, the reader must decode the patterned representation of advancing urban life to decode the moral of the story. This picturebook is a great example of a work that depicts issues of sustainable development and climate change without patronizing its reader. With this in mind, it is very suitable for 12-15 year olds.
