Veteran adventure travel writer Maria Coffey has teamed up with her photographer husband, Dag Goering, and co-author Debora Pearson to produce this third book in Annick’s Adventure Travel series.

The Solomon Islands (just off the northwest coast of Australia in the South Pacific Ocean) likely won’t be high on the must-visit list of every young adventure travel buff, but this book could do a lot to change that. In it, Coffey chronicles the travels – mostly by kayak – she and Goering made around the island chain. Along the way, she examines just about everything, from animal and plant life to the islands’ geography and climate to the customs, food, housing, and pidgin English of the islanders. Although Coffey emphasizes the natural phenomena she saw along the way, her first-person narrative also features many of the conversations she had with people, giving the book a human side as well.

Although the Coffey/Pearson narrative is more than captivating enough to hold the attention of young readers interested in travel or nature, the clear, colourful photography and beautifully illustrated maps (drawn by Carmen Ngai) are what really drive home the magic of a voyage like this. Goering has chosen a perfect mix of flora and fauna for the shots and has done an especially good job of portraying the people who live on the islands. This provides a nice complement to the social angle Coffey takes in her narrative. The book’s layout is also strengthened by sidebar-style explanations of many key points that arise in the text.

While most young readers are a long way from a kayaking expedition in the South Pacific, My South Sea Adventure should have the intended effect of making them feel as if they’ve at least made a pleasant visit there.