1. Art techniques
2. Collage
3. Diving
4. Ecosystems
5. Endangered species
6. Marine life
7. Oceans and seas
8. Tasmania

When Ben’s fishing trap is caught underwater, he seeks the help of his friend Sophie to retrieve it. Sophie entices Ben to dive with her and introduces him to the beauty and wonder of the kelp forest. Jeannie Baker’s work often has a strong environmental focus, and her work is an excellent way to introduce readers to the wonders of the natural world and bring an awareness of the impact both positive and negative humans can have.

Jeannie Baker describes her art as ‘collage construction’. She uses a range of materials, both natural and synthetic built up in layers. The book’s collages are created using a multitude of natural materials she collected including seaweeds, sponges, and sands. The kelp was modelled with translucent artist’s clay and the seawater with resin. To help create this book Jeannie Baker made several diving trips to the kelp forests that grow in the waters off the Tasmania’s Tasman Peninsula.

The Tasmanian kelp forests that this book is modelled on are today under serious threat. Giant kelp is the world's largest marine algae, reaching 40 metres tall and growing at a rate of up to 50 centimetres a day in ideal conditions. In the space of one human lifetime 95% of these forests have disappeared. Scientists believe this is caused by the extension further south of the East Australian Current which is bringing warmer nutrient poor water along Tasmania’s east coast replacing the colder sub-Antarctic waters in which the kelp thrives. This sudden change in current is due to climate change. The Giant Kelp Restoration project is trying to reverse this loss and to date has had limited success.

1. Jeannie Baker website 2016 ‘Exploring a hidden forest’. Haydn Washington interviews Jeannie Baker https://www.jeanniebaker.com/focus/exploring-a-hidden-forest/
2. Micaela Matthews 27 May 2018 reads ‘The Hidden Forest’ by Jeannie Baker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Uxig3fcZHA
3. Kirkus Reviews 24 June 2010 Review of ‘The Hidden Forest’ by Jeannie Baker https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jeannie-baker/the-hidden-forest-2/
4. Rebecca Ramaley 22 January 2013 ‘Tasmania’s Disappearing Kelp Forests’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRfxFZ4ndlg
5. ABC Radio Hobart 13 October 2021 Will Murray ‘Tasmania’s giant kelp forests starting to regrow just a year into rescue trial’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-13/kelp-forests-off-tasmania-regrowing-a-year-since-project-began/100532756
6. ABC News by Zoe Kean for ABC Science 27 February 2021 ‘Remembering Tasmania’s underwater forests’ https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-02-27/tasmania-giant-kelp-forests-disappearing-global-ocean-warming/11209188