WILD WATERS PHOTO JOURNAL by Michael Patrick O'Neill

First, I must provide a brief disclosure to this book review:

I confess that I have been a Michael Patrick O'Neill fan since moving to South Florida and discovering this local artist/author's beautifully photographed children's books for sale in The Marinelife Center of Juno Beach's gift shop. My son was much younger then, and together we attended one of the author's summer educational lectures at our public library where Mr. O'Neill was kind enough to autograph all three of our copies of his "Let's Explore" book series.

However, with all that personal background information aside, I can quite objectively and most truthfully say that his newest book, WILD WATERS PHOTO JOURNAL, is a complete work of art and my very  favorite title yet.

Michael Patrick O'Neill set off on a two-year quest to highlight the threats facing some of our planet's most precious ecosystems. His passionate journey graces his reader with a rare, underwater view of oceans, rivers and streams located in Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil and the United States. Spectacular coral reefs, great white sharks, leatherback sea turtles, whale sharks, moray eels, rays, sea horses, horseshoe crabs, tropical fish, manatees and alligators are among just a few of the miraculous creatures featured on the pages in vibrant color.

Interspersed with these breathtaking pictures of marine life in their natural habitats are equally heart-stopping images of contaminated reefs, dead sea turtles, and bundles of floating litter. Many of the most distressing of these photos were taken right here in northern Palm Beach County. Reckless human activity in our local ocean waters and elsewhere in the world threaten to forever destroy precious Life which is impossible to replace.

Award winning author, Carl Safina, wrote the foreword for the book. He names the very troubling human passivity toward defending "the wild and special places in and around our homes" and asks:

"How to respond? First, to see. That's what this book is largely about. Once our eyes are open, or while we spend our lives trying to better and better see, we may - and should let ourselves - fall in love. And then, what? We too often lose what we love because we let our love be passive. We must voice our love. We must defend our love with the realization that we are all part of one family of life. We must defend our family."

And that is precisely why this is an incredibly important book for all ages. Parents can share it with their kids to spark important discussions within the family about water conservation and personal environmental responsibility. Adults will become inspired to get active in their own communities and find new ways to support and protect their local waters.

Visit the Batfish Books website today to learn more about WILD WATERS PHOTO JOURNAL and view more of Michael Patrick O'Neill's nature photography or click on this direct link to order the book:
http://batfishbooks.com/wildwatersphotojournal.html

Open your eyes to the underwater beauty of our planet and please (please) - help others to see the beauty and fragility of our Oceans as well - before it is too late....

Peace for your Path,
Robin