Stories from the sea

Wonder washes in with every tide.

Two books from marine biologist Paul L. Sieswerda — tender, true accounts of the whales and seals that share our shores, illustrated and told with a lifetime of love for the deep.

Explore the Books Meet the Author

The Books

Two true stories from a life with the sea

Each book is a window into marine life — one from the wild harbor of New York City, the other from a quiet bathtub in Boston. Together, they invite readers of every age to fall in love with the ocean.

Featured Title

Big Whale, Big City

by Paul L. Sieswerda · illustrated by Joy S. Reidenberg, Ph.D.

Meet Jerry — a humpback whale whose journey mirrors the astonishing return of humpbacks to the waters of New York City. For the first time in a century, these gentle giants are feeding and breaching within sight of the Manhattan skyline, and Jerry's story is the story of all of them.

With lyrical writing and anatomically true illustrations, this children's picture book teaches young readers about a whale's life, how humpbacks feed, the challenges they face, and why the ocean around the world's greatest city has become a new home for the largest animals on earth.

FormatPaperback

Ages5 – 10

CategoryNature · Picture Book

ISBN978-1947239395

Reading LevelLevel 2

Buy on Amazon Get News & Excerpts

Companion Title

A Seal in the Bathtub

by Paul L. Sieswerda Sr. and Joy S. Reidenberg, Ph.D.
Illustrated by Joy S. Reidenberg, Ph.D. · Contributing Author: PJ Sieswerda

Before he became a curator, before the whales of New York, Paul Sieswerda Sr., then in his twenties, carried a tiny orphaned harbor seal home from a Boston beach — certain he'd feed the pup through the night and return him to the aquarium the next day.

Instead, the seal stayed. He slept in the bathtub. He paddled in a kiddie pool. He became "Cecil" to the family and a character at birthday parties. A Seal in the Bathtub is the true, tender story of how one small creature changed a young biologist's life — and set him on a path that would span five decades of caring for the ocean.

FormatIllustrated Memoir

AudienceFamily & Young Readers

CategoryMemoir · Nature

Reading LevelLevel 2

Buy on Amazon Join the Mailing List

The Author

A lifetime with whales, seals, and wonder

In Memoriam · Marine Biologist · Author · Curator

Paul L. Sieswerda Sr.

Paul Sieswerda Sr. spent more than fifty years in the company of marine mammals. He began as a young volunteer at the New England Aquarium in Boston, where he was rapidly promoted to Curator of Fishes and Mammals, and eventually went on to serve as Curator of the New York Aquarium on Coney Island.

Paul was the founder of Gotham Whale, a nonprofit dedicated to the study, education, and advocacy of the whales, dolphins, and seals of New York Harbor. Today, his son PJ Sieswerda carries that legacy forward as Executive Director. Paul’s work helped document the extraordinary return of humpback whales to the waters around New York City — a conservation story his books continue to share with readers of every age.

Paul was also the author of Sharks (Animal Ways), and his writing, teaching, and fieldwork continue to bring the wonder of the sea to a new generation.

Paul L. Sieswerda Sr. and his son PJ photographing whales together off New York Harbor — Paul Sr. and his son PJ — cameras up, eyes on the horizon. Father and son, on the water together.

— with salt still on his boots,
Paul

Contributing Author

Carrying the legacy forward

PJS

Executive Director, Gotham Whale · Underwater Explorer

PJ Sieswerda

PJ Sieswerda grew up by the water, in the wake of his father’s curiosity. After his own years exploring the oceans — diving and photographing in the Bahamas, the British Virgin Islands, the Red Sea, Micronesia, and Belize — PJ now carries his father’s work forward as Executive Director of Gotham Whale, the nonprofit Paul Sr. founded to study, educate, and advocate for the whales, dolphins, and seals of New York Harbor.

He lives close to the same shores his father loved, with his family — Cannon, Emery, and his namesake Paul — and contributed to A Seal in the Bathtub alongside his father.

Media & Press

For journalists, educators & booksellers

Resources for coverage, classroom use, and store events. For interviews or signing requests, please reach out directly.

Press Kit

Author bios, book fact sheets, the Cecil origin story, and full contact details — ready for print, podcast, or classroom.

Download Press Kit (PDF) → Or email for high-res assets →

Interviews & Events

Paul is available for podcasts, school visits, and bookstore readings throughout the year.

Book an Event →

Educators

Classroom guides, read-aloud materials, and curriculum tie-ins aligned with NGSS.

Get Teacher Resources →

What Readers Are Saying

Praise from readers & reviewers

Does a terrific job of informing children (and adults!) about the humpback whales in NYC's waters, using 'Jerry' the whale to tell the story. The illustrations are charming and should delight children of all ages.

— Reader Review, Big Whale, Big City

The illustrations are true to real-life whale anatomy, and the story is entertaining and educational — a rare and wonderful combination.

— Educator Review

A tender, true story about the small moments that shape an entire life. You'll never look at a seal — or a bathtub — the same way again.

— On A Seal in the Bathtub

Paul Sieswerda writes with the quiet authority of a lifetime spent beside the water. His books are gifts — for families, for classrooms, for anyone who has ever loved the sea.

— Gotham Whale Community