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.