An Island Is Born - by Virginie Aladjidi & Caroline Pellissier (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A true, step-by-step account for young readers of how a real island is born and taken over by plants and animals.

This picture book is written in the form of a logbook, telling the story of an island's birth from a volcanic eruption with quiet simplicity. It's the story of Surtsey -- a pristine, UNESCO-listed island, a kind of open-air laboratory in the middle of the Atlantic, south of Iceland.
For sixty years, only a handful of scientists have set foot on this island, and even they are permitted to visit just four times a year. Surtsey is a nature reserve, protected so that researchers from around the world can observe life gradually taking hold there -- and help preserve it. The dates and details of this volcanic land's slow colonization are drawn from descriptions and observations gathered firsthand by the authors.
The book is illustrated by Manon Diemer, whose delicate artwork brings real character to the story, capturing every stage, every upheaval, and every creature along the way.

Review Quotes

Official Selection, 2026 Prix Sorcières (Carrément Sorcières Non-Fiction category) -- one of only five nonfiction titles nominated nationwide.

About the Author

Caroline Pellissier and Virginie Aladjidi are both children's book writers. These former journalists met while working together at a kids' magazine. Together, they have written over one hundred nonfiction, picture books. Many of them have won awards! They live in France.