For those out on the tranquil open ocean, wondering if underwater is peaceful too, if fish swim silently in the blue …
Oh! No! It’s NOISY down below!
This is how West Vancouver children’s book author Kristen Pendreigh welcomes young eyes and ears to the sonic wonderland just below the surface in What Fish Are Saying: Strange Sounds in the Ocean.
The lively picture book was published by Sourcebooks in June, and is one of two new works released by Pendreigh this year. When a Tree Falls: Nurse Logs and Their Incredible Forest Power was published by Chronicle Books in March.
Both titles are part of a rising tide in the popularity of children’s non-fiction.
“What you read as a child, or what your children read as children, is not the same as what’s being published today,” Pendreigh said.
“The non-fiction that’s coming out for kids today is incredible. I know a lot of teachers are using it, even fifth-, sixth-, seventh-grade classes, because it’s so interesting and engaging,” she said.
But it’s not just lyrical whimsy that draws young minds to the subject matter. Pendreigh’s books are deeply researched and sometimes involve cutting-edge science.
“There’s a lot of external sources kids can use, but using that picture book format gets them interested and opens those doors for them,” she said.
While pages at the back of What Fish Are Saying go into depth on the technology of underwater microphones and special ear stones called “otoliths” that fish use to hear, the rest of the pages still read like a familiar kids book.
“It’s not like the encyclopedic stuff we read when we were little – there’s often a narrative,” she said. “My tree book, it’s not, ‘This is what nurse logs are. They do this, this and this.’ It’s a story of a tree. And I think it helps us really feel an emotional connection to the forest.”
Author became hooked on children's book format
Pendreigh used to tell news stories as a journalist for the CBC, and when she had her own children she loved reading to them. Eventually she got into writing poetry and saw kids books as a form of illustrated verse. Then, after taking a course at UBC in 2016, Pendreigh became hooked on the format.
“I love the structure and the challenge of telling a complete, layered story within such a short framework,” she said, adding that books typically run 32 pages or around 300 to 400 words.
“I love that challenge of having every word count and creating like a little play, that we turn the page and something else happens, and figuring how to keep kids engaged,” Pendreigh said. “It’s kind of like writing a screenplay, and then you see it come to life with the artist’s vision for the piece. I really enjoy it.”
Pendreigh’s recent works have garnered critical acclaim and starred reviews, but special recognition was given to her 2023 book Maybe a Whale, which explores the topic of grief through the lens of a magical overnight kayak trip shared by a mother and daughter.
To promote her new books, Pendreigh has made stops at Vancouver Writers Fest, Ocean Wise Conservation Association in Stanley Park, Lynn Canyon Ecology Centre, Lighthouse Park Preservation Society and to Ridgeway Elementary in North Vancouver.
What Fish Are Saying has also been featured in an immersive window display at Kidsbooks in Edgemont Village, and Pendreigh is working with the store to co-ordinate more school visits in the fall.
The author has two new books in the works including Camping Is a Terrible Idea, which is set for release in 2026.
“It’s about a little girl who just does not want to go camping and thinks terrible things will happen,” Pendreigh said. “She’s not wrong. But in the end, of course, nature prevails and she falls in love with being in the outdoors.”
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