The Vanishing Sea

This artful and thought-provoking picture book shares the little-known story of the disappearance of the Aral Seaand 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 Seas 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 disappearedand 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 natures 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.