Story
Merry Xmas from PML (with a celebration of ocean storytelling)
19 December 2025
This year’s PML Christmas card is inspired by a storybook created to inspire curiosity and care for the Ocean among young readers.
Image caption: An illustration by PML’s Meryl Hopper, created for the children’s storybook ‘Oceanus and the children of the sea’
Our 2025 Christmas card features an original illustration by Meryl Hopper, Science Support Officer at PML. The artwork is taken from a wider collection of illustrations created by Meryl for the book ‘Oceanus and the Children of the Sea’ – a children’s story written by Science Communicator Amy Kenworthy to help young readers understand some of the challenges facing the Ocean and how they can play a role in protecting it.
Our 2025 Christmas card:
The story and illustrations were produced by PML as part of the ProBleu project, which promotes ocean and water literacy within European school communities. Through storytelling and visual art, the project aims to make complex environmental issues accessible, engaging and empowering for children.
‘Oceanus the ocean woke each day,
to sun and rain and the wind at play.
She was old and wise, and ever so kind,
to Earth, its creatures, and all humankind.
[…] But one sad day, things went wrong….’
Excerpt from ‘Oceanus and the Children of the Sea’
Meryl created 15 illustrations for the book, and to bring the story further to life, narrated the story in the video. The video is available to watch on YouTube and offers a gentle, creative way to share the message of ocean care with families, classrooms and communities.
Watch now: Oceanus and The Children of the Sea
Meryl said: “This project has been an absolute joy and privilege to work on.”
In addition to Meryl’s beautiful illustrations, the creation of the book was a team effort, with ProBleu’s Science Communicator Amy Kenworthy writing the story, PML’s Web developer Jon White filming and editing the video, with scientific and ocean literacy support from our scientists working on the ProBleu project, including Dr Gennadi Lessin and Professor Stefan Simis.
Image: the front cover of the book
This year’s Christmas card reflects our belief that science, creativity and education all have a role to play in shaping a healthier future for the Ocean. By sharing stories like Oceanus and the Children of the Sea, we hope to inspire curiosity, understanding and positive action among the next generation of ocean stewards.
We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season, and all the very best for 2026.
Related information
We would like to extend a special thanks to the Marine Biological Association for inviting us to film the story reading at their building. The book will be made available as a teaching resource through project ProBleu, with a limited number of hardcopies available in 2026.
The ProBleu project is funded by the European Union and UKRI Innovate UK grant no:10081234
