The US Review of Books (USRB) highly praised “SOS: Save Our Seas” by Renate Schalk Schreiner

“SOS: Save Our Seas” by Renate Schalk Schreiner is acclaimed by Nicole Yurcaba of the US Review of Books. 

East Prussia, now Poland, is where author Renate Schalk Schreiner was born. In 1945, her family fled to the west of Germany. She went to school there and became a kindergarten teacher. 

In 1964, she immigrated to the United States, eventually becoming a Montessori teacher in Wisconsin, where she worked for many years. Reading to children, she learned that one of their favorite subjects was animals. That knowledge she used in later years to create the Olli stories, this time going into the ocean, to introduce a new animal world to young readers.

While learning about these creatures, they are entertained with rhyming stories and wonderful pictures. Love and respect for all life, no matter where we find it, is my goal in these books. We are all living on the same planet and need to learn how to share it with everyone, no matter who they are or where their home is.

In “SOS: Save Our Seas”, young readers meet Olli, Elusa Medusa, Starlet Starfish, Raymie, and a cast of other seaworthy characters who guide them through the ocean’s depths. Initially, Elusa Medusa—”of the jellyfish kind”—guides Olli to the jellyfish swarms. There, the pair dances. 

As Olli guides young readers onward, they meet Starlet Starfish, Olli’s new neighbor, and eventually Raymie, a graceful stingray who brightens Olli’s day by offering Olli a ride. Olli’s journeys continue, and Olli guides readers into reefs and realms where other characters like Delphina, a bottle-nose dolphin, delivers a baby, and Dorado—a bright, golden fish from Mexico—arrives and teaches Olli and his friends a new language. 

However, despite their happiness, Olli and his friends are not safe from pollution, and by the book’s end, the children learn about the necessity of saving the seas.

Here’s an excerpt from the US Review of Books that highlights:

“As much as this book teaches children to be aware of the sea’s fragile environment, it also teaches them to be kind to and accepting of others. The book’s diverse cast of characters shows the importance of taking the time to learn about others, no matter how different others might be from oneself. Gorgeous, colorful illustrations bring these lessons to life. The carefully constructed rhyme schemes not only make the book fun to read aloud but can also be used to teach young readers the beauty of language and words. Thus, the book becomes a fun adventure for readers of all ages, particularly for those who love the sea and have a special place in their hearts for the ocean and its inhabitants.”