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.

A bowl full of jellies

 

Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing Medusas 

by Michelle Cusolito; illus. by Ellen Rooney

32 pages; ages 7-10

Charlesbridge, 2025 

theme: biography, nonfiction, jellyfish  

Welcome to the craggy coast of Ireland. The lady rowing her currach into the surf is Maude Delap. She’s a scientist collecting specimens.

And with that introduction, we’re headed out to sea with Maude to collect compass jellyfish. Why? Because no one has ever watched a jellyfish go through a complete lifecycle. So Maude intends to raise one in captivity. Sounds easy: fill a tank with sea water and watch. But the water has to be freshened frequently, and then there’s the issue of feeding the jellies – what do they even eat?

What I like about this book: So much! Starting with the end pages, which show the life cycle of a jellyfish. Then there's the title with marvelous alliteration: mesmerizing medusas. I like the journal headings, like on the first page where it says June 21, 1899 ~ Day 1. And the almost-last page where it says July 8, 1900 ~ Day 383. I love the language of the jellyfish observations: Pump, sway. Pump, sway. I admire Maude’s determination and dedication. And there is back matter! Author Michelle Cusolito includes additional information about jellyfish and Maude Delap, plus an author’s note about how she came to write this book. Illustrator, Ellen Rooney pens her own notes about the research she did to inform her artwork – including a trip to the New England Aquarium in Boston so she could watch (and sketch) jellyfish swimming. 

I had so much fun reading about the jellies that I just had to ask Michelle one question.

Me: How did you come to land on the journal style for your book?

Photo credit: Alison Noyce

Michelle: This book went through many iterations with varied approaches. Landing on the voice and structure took a long time. From April of 2020 until February of 2021, there were no headings like you see in the final book. Then, in February of 2021, I started trying out headings to help emphasize the passage of time. My initial headings were JUNE, THE NEXT DAY, SIX DAYS LATER, NINE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER, etc. They weren’t quite working, but I didn’t have a solution yet.

And then there was a large gap until I was able to get back to the manuscript. I got the news that I’d be going to sea with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. I had to prepare for two weeks of quarantine (in April of 2021—still during Covid) followed by our time on the ship, so all of my attention turned to prepping for the voyage and researching for the book I would write for middle schoolers about the expedition. I was gone for five and a half weeks. When I returned, I needed to actually write that book, so Maude still had to wait.  I didn’t return to Maude’s story until 11 months later, in January of 2022. By then, I had submitted the manuscript for A Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone: Twenty-Four Days of Science at Sea to my editor, so I had time to spend with Maude.

I added the journal style headings on March 4, 2022. I don't recall the exact moment when I thought to add them, but I'm certain my work on A Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone impacted my thinking. That book documents our time at sea and uses the same kind of headings. I’m sure that made the idea click for me.

Here’s something that might be helpful to other writers: Some of my headings in that March 4, 2022 version looked like this:  April 3-4, 1900 (Day XX). I didn’t want to derail my revision process by stopping to calculate the days, so I simply put XX to remind myself to do it later. I use this strategy often when I don’t have an exact number or fact I need, but I don’t want to stop to research or calculate. I know that uses a different part of my brain and getting back to the creative writing brain takes too long.

Thank you, Michelle, for sharing that bit of wisdom for us! Michelle is a member of #STEAMTeam2025. You can find out more about her at her website,  www.michellecusolito.com You’ll find reviews of her other books right here on the blog – just put her name into the search bar on the right.

Beyond the Books:

Find some jellyfish to watch. Ideally, you could watch some at an aquarium, but if you can’t travel to one, check out these videos at National Geographic and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Illustrator Ellen Rooney says that sketching is a great way to study nature. “Once you draw something, you understand it in a new way…” whether it’s a jellyfish at an aquarium or a bird outside your window. So grab some paper and pencils and do some sketching. 

Make some jellyfish crafts – you’ll find plenty of ideas here, including how to create a jellyfish costume!

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. Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copy provided by the publisher.