About the Holiday
Even though we’re saying goodbye to Read a New Book Month, families don’t have to stop seeking out new books at their local bookstore or library. In fact, fall, with its lead-in to the holidays is one of the busiest times of the year for publishers as they release wonderful books that share traditions and take readers through the winter in thoughtful, funny, and always surprising ways. Maybe that’s why December is also often recognized as Read a New Book Month! Really, there’s never a time when you don’t want to celebrate new books—like today’s!
Thank you to Greystone Books for sending me this book for review!
Bompa’s Intertidal Adventure (Nature Adventures with Bompa 2)
Written by David Suzuki and Sarika Cullis-Suzuki with Tanya Lloyd Kyi | Illustrated by Qin Leng
On the last day of summer, twins Nakina and Kaoru wait on the beach for Bompa, their grandfather, and one of his adventures. As soon as Bompa rides up on his new e-bike, Kaoru takes the lead to the intertidal zone, where low tide promises to reveal the secrets on “the bottom of the ocean.” He’s hoping to find some interesting animals to study with their scientist grandpa and extend summer, if only for just a bit. Kaoru and Nakina don’t have to wait long. Bompa is looking at a snail shell that suddenly “scuttles away.” The children hurry over to watch the hermit crab as Bompa explains about adaptations. The twins imagine themselves as hermit crabs, camping out or even carrying “fancy research labs inside [their] shells.”
Soon they come to a tidal pool where they find limpets and sculpins and a very loud plainfin midshipman under a rock, protecting its eggs. They discover different types of seaweed, and Bompa explains how seaweeds have adapted to stay rooted to the ocean floor so they aren’t swept away by the current. Bompa talks about how many of the creatures in the intertidal zone must adapt to the cyclical wet and dry conditions. Nakina wishes they could breath underwater to “explore a kelp forest.”
When Kaoru finds a discarded bottle in a tide pool, Bompa grows sad, thinking of what an amazing place the intertidal zone is. Nakina takes his hand and asks why. Bompa explains how “humans are changing the climate, and . . . putting more and more buildings along the shoreline and . . . polluting the oceans. Nakina worries that the animals won’t be able to adapt fast enough to the changes, and says, “‘We all need to learn how important [the intertidal zone] is.”
Listening, while watching “tiny crabs scuttle back and forth,” Kaoru adds that maybe it is people who “need to adapt.” He suggests that when they get back to school, he and Nakina can talk to their friends about the intertidal zone and join the school’s annual shoreline cleanup. The two children imagine all the ways they can help as they grow older. They can’t wait to get back home to share with their classmates everything they’ve seen and that Bompa has taught them.
Back matter includes a list of ways people can protect the intertidal zone, a Shoreline Search and Find puzzle using illustrations from the story, Intertidal Facts, and a close-up look and fact about some creatures in the story.
David Suzuki, Sarika Cullis-Suzuki, and Tanya Lloyd Kyi’s story reveals the wonder of intertidal zones, which are home to intriguing creatures who have adapted to take advantage of the best of their sometimes wet, sometimes dry home. As Kaoru and Nakina marvel over what they find, readers will share their excitement and interest. Bompa’s clear explanations of certain animals’ adaptations and behaviors will spur children at home and in the classroom to learn more about this special ocean zone and how they can protect it.
Qin Leng’s tranquil ink and watercolor illustrations beautifully covey the features of the intertidal zone along the edge of the ocean’s reach. Scattered driftwood, sea birds, crabs, shells, seaweed, and hidden creatures create a lovely true-to-life landscape for the children’s and Bompa’s explorations. As if peering into a mysterious treasure box, readers will be fascinated to discover what lies within the shallow tidal pools, under rocks, and hiding in crevices. Playful scenes at the beach as well as images of Kaoru and Nakina growing into advocates for ocean conservation give children an idea of how people can use all types of talents to help protect these vulnerable natural areas.
Bompa’s Intertidal Adventure is a gentle story with a profound impact, reminding readers of all ages of the uniqueness and importance of intertidal zones and the role they can play in preserving them. The book can spark lessons or projects for families, classrooms, and child-focused organizations and is a must for public and school libraries.
Ages 4 – 8
Greystone Kids, 2026 | ISBN 978-1778402531
About the Authors
David Suzuki is an internationally renowned scientist and environmentalist who has made it his life’s work to help humanity understand, appreciate, respect, and protect nature. He is the co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation and the author of more than fifty books. He lives in Vancouver, BC, and is a father of five and grandfather to ten, including twins Nakina and Kaoru. Connect with him and the David Suzuki Foundation at davidsuzuki.org.
Sarika Cullis-Suzuki is co-host of The Nature of Things on CBC. Her life’s work is dedicated to science, communication, and oceans. Her research in marine biology has taken her from the high seas, to remote tropical islands, to the coastal intertidal zones of British Columbia for her PhD, where she studied the singing fish, the plainfin midshipman. Visit her at sarikacullissuzuki.com.
Tanya Lloyd Kyi is the award-winning author of more than thirty books for children and young adults. Tanya lives in Vancouver, BC, where she teaches for the University of British Columbia’s School of Creative Writing. Visit her at tanyalloydkyi.com.
About the Illustrator
Qin Leng is a visual development artist and an illustrator and author of children’s books. Throughout her career, she has illustrated picture books, magazines, and book covers with publishers around the world. She lives in Toronto with her husband and her son. You can visit her at qinillustrations.com.
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