This artful and thought-provoking picture book shares the little-known story of the disappearance of the Aral Sea—and the loss of livelihood and biodiversity as fishing villages and ships were left stranded in the desert without water.
The Aral Sea once stretched across modern-day Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. A large saltwater lake of Central Asia (called “sea” because of its vastness), the Aral Sea’s 26 square miles (67 square kilometers) sustained its surrounding communities for generations. Beginning in the 1960s, aggressive Soviet industrialization diverted water for agricultural production and caused the lake to shrink.
Today, the waters that had thrived for centuries have almost entirely disappeared—and along with them, the biodiversity of the lake, its thriving fishing industry, and the many homes along its shores.
Told in a folkloric style with stunning illustrations, this true tale chronicles what happens when nature’s generosity is exploited. It gently invites readers to consider the reality of irreversible environmental harm, its global impact, and what it means to be compassionate to the land we live on.
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Chloe Perkins is the editor and author of a few dozen books for children. She lives in New York City, with her husband, Rico, and their corgi puppy/sometimes shark, Marius. Growing up in a small town in Ohio, Chloe always dreamed of writing stories that could take kids on their own reading adventures, and she's thrilled to be doing just that! Dinara Mirtalip
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