The most colorful creature in If You Live in the Sea, Who Would You Be? is the Spanish Shawl nudibranch. Aren’t these stunning? Nudibranchs (NOO-dee-branks) are gastropod mollusks – in other words, sea slugs. They have very bright colors. The ones you see in my book are Spanish Shawl nudibranchs (Flabellinopsis iodinea). They have purple, yellow, … More The Most Colorful Creature
If You Lived in the Sea, Who Would You Be? has just received two awards! – The John Burroughs Association 2026 Riverby Award for “exceptional natural history books for young readers.” – The Nature Generation 2026 Green Earth Book Award Recommended. “From powerful storytelling to compelling non-fiction that brings environmental issues and information to young … More Two Awards!!!
I had never heard of a Barreleye Fish when I received the manuscript for If You Lived in the Sea, Who Would You Be? Now I know a lot about this creature, so I’m sharing it with you.
For every one of my books, I start with creating a color palette. I use watercolors because they are so easy to blend and experiment with. You can see that I have a lot of colors on hand, but I tend to pick 3 main colors, and some extras that will be useful in small … More Color Palette
When I received the manuscript for If You Lived in the Sea, Who Would You Be?, I counted about 30 animals. I had to find their scientific names so I could portray them accurately and put them in their natural habitats. For example, West Indian Manatees (Trichechus manatus) can live in Florida, in shallow water, … More Illustrating 58 Species!
#5 Flying Fish leaping out of the water to avoid getting eaten by a dolphin. #4 Elephant Seals at Point Reyes National Seashore during the mating season. #3 Bluestreak Cleaner Wrasses cleaning a Moray Eel’s face and teeth. #2 Baby Leatherback Turtles scampering out to sea. #1 Anglerfish attracting Lanternfish with her glowing lure.
Thank you to Marlo Garnsworthy for creating this beautiful video! (icebirdstudio.com)
Download a free Beaver and Otter coloring page!
Book covers are important and a challenge to design. They have to be attractive, expressive, and include the main characters in action. We want kids and parents to notice a beautiful book on a shelf, pick it up, and wonder what’s inside. My Designer guided me through numerous versions of the cover illustration for Beaver … More Beaver & Otter: Cover Design
Meg Sodano - Illustration & Design 