PB & Jellyfish?

The Secrets of the Jellies: Amazing Jellyfish and Their Surprising Talents   

by Karen Jameson; illus by Marie Hermansson

40 pages; ages 5-8

Chronicle Books, 2026

themes: ocean animals, animal adaptations, STEM

Jellies pulse, jellies ride, gracing waters as they glide

Using poetic lines, Karen Jameson takes readers on a field trip to a jellyfish aquarium. On each spread, she focuses on a single aspect of jellyfish-iness. For example, they have no bones! They come in a variety of shapes and colors and sizes. And even though they can feel, they have no brain. Gorgeous illustrations will draw you right into the book, and you’ll wonder how you can spend time with these intriguing animals.

What I like about this book: It’s fun, engaging, and all science. Plus, there’s extensive back matter. A section on Jellyfish facts expands on the information presented on each spread. Another section gives insight into jelly research and their role in ocean ecosystems. The last four pages are a “Meet the Jellies” extravaganza! Sort of like a condensed field guide to cool jellyfish you might meet at an aquarium. 

This is such a fun book to read, that I had to ask Karen a couple of questions:

Me: How did you come to this structure for your book? 

Karen: Here’s the short and sweet answer. As with all my nonfiction books, there was a lot of thought and consideration given as to which key information belonged in the main text. Above all, I wanted readers to “travel" through these pages to an aquarium and experience the awe of an immersive jellyfish exhibit. Readers would wander from room to room (or tank to tank) in a way that felt organic. I also wanted it to be an engaging read-aloud. After composing the stanzas, I simply put them on post-it notes and shifted them around like puzzle pieces to see which order felt right.  Of course, I also ran it past my trusty critique group!

Me: I love the back matter. Can you talk about your research?

Karen: Yes, it is a lot of back matter! It was initially more compact, but grew after we decided to move the side bars to the back and add a “Meet the Jellies” section. I’d been lucky enough to visit the aquarium on multiple occasions (it’s about a 5 hour drive from my home).  However, since I began researching this during the pandemic when Monterey Bay Aquarium was closed, that wasn’t an option. But, I was able to enjoy their incredible online Jelly Cam footage and explore their website for further information.  I then expanded to additional online sources  -  other prominent aquariums, ocean and science sites. Though libraries were closed, I was able to order nonfiction jellyfish books (both adult and kid lit titles) from various sites for secure pick up. More online research of scholarly journals and the like rounded it up.

Though the book was inspired by Monterey Bay Aquarium, the aquarium itself does NOT have all those specific jellyfish, just some. Early on I made the decision to focus on true jellies around the world, of which there are 200+ known varieties. You can visit other cool kinds of jellyfish, such as comb jellies, at Monterrey and other aquariums.

Beyond the Books:

Watch jellyfish with live jellyfish cams! These nettle jellies are at the Aquarium of the Pacific, and these moon jellies are at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Create a jellyfish dance. Stretch and squeeze to move like a jellyfish. If you really want to play the part, create a jellyfish costume using an old umbrella or wide-brimmed hat and strips of cloth or scarves. 

Make a jellyfish out of your handprint, a paper plate, or even coffee filters. Please skip the glitter – it’s not healthy for ocean animals.

Karen is a member of the STEAM Team Books group. You can find out more about her at her at her website at https://karenljameson.com/. You can find more about recently released STEM and STEAM at https://www.steamteambooks.com/

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by Blue Slip Media.