Tillie and Grace

Book One of Beneath the Looking Glass — Voices from the Emerald Sea

When Tillie the herring discovers plans for a seawall on her shore, she and a wise octopus turn to Emmy-winning underwater filmmaker DiverLaura for help. Together with a young girl named Grace, they discover that sometimes the smallest voice can help the whole ocean be heard. A story about Puget Sound, the creatures that call it home, and the courage it takes to speak up for our shared ocean planet.

These stories take place on the ancestral homelands of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, Puyallup, and other Indigenous peoples, who have stewarded these waters since time before memor

Illustrations created with AI image tools under the creative direction of Laura James. All character likenesses, environments, and visual references are derived from photographs and video footage taken by or of the author in Puget Sound. Character design, story references, and all creative direction by the author.