Above water, on water, under water

Nikolai Vatagin, an extraordinarily talented painter and sculptor and, surprisingly, a completely landlocked individual, conceived and, with deep subject knowledge and a healthy sense of humor, illustrated a remarkable children's encyclopedia about people and devices directly related to aquatic environments. The book, without exaggeration, encompasses the entire maritime theme. It features everything that floats on water – from kayaks and surfboards to giant dry cargo ships, icebreakers, and battleships. It includes everything that floats underwater – from bathyscaphes to submarines. It covers everything that flies over water – from fire-fighting seaplanes to vertical take-off aircraft launching from aircraft carriers. There are illustrations explaining the layout of a port and a shipyard. There's a cross-section of a ship with detailed depictions of its numerous compartments: berthing areas, deckhouses, sections, etc. It introduces everyone directly involved in this vast aquatic industry: sailors, divers, designers, oceanographers, and more. The colors are vibrant. The illustrations are clear, distinct, not overloaded with details, yet they convey the essence of the design. The portraits of people in maritime professions are rendered with the confident hand of a keen psychologist and physiognomist. And all of this is accompanied by the author's inimitable captions and comments. The book's target audience is as broad as the subject matter itself. Both children, starting from preschool age, and their parents will enjoy looking at and reading this book. And everyone will find something intriguing, useful, and interesting within its pages.