Kobee Manatee: Shipwreck Sea Friends

by Robert Scott Thayer, Lauren Gallegos BA (Illustrator)

Overview

​LEXILE MEASUREMENT: AD700L
Winner, Silver Medal in the Interior Design: Children's Category, 2018 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award
2018 International Literary Association – Children’s Book Council Children’s Choices Reading List
Winner, Gold Medal in the Children's K-3 Category, 2017 Readers' Favorite International Book Awards
Winner, Gold Award in the Children's Picture Books Category, 2017 Mom's Choice Awards

“Kobee and his ocean pals are full of fun, adventure, and inspiration. They give the reader a better sense of the magic and mystery within our ocean world." —Fabien Cousteau, oceanographic explorer and conservationist

Kobee Manatee and his pals, Tess the seahorse and Pablo the hermit crab are en route to Puerto Rico to explore the SS Antonio López, a historic shipwreck from the 1898 Spanish-American War. The ship sits underwater about seven miles west of San Juan. On their Caribbean adventure, they meet several new sea friends, including a whale shark, an octopus, and a moray eel. But as Kobee and his buddies begin their thrilling exploration of the wreck, Kobee gets trapped inside the sunken ship! Can Tess, Pablo, and the new sea friends rescue Kobee? Children are sure to enjoy this spectacular tale loaded with surprises, fun, and exciting facts all about Caribbean reef fish.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780997123937
Publisher:	Thompson Mill Press
Publication date:	02/21/2017
Series:	Kobee Manatee Series
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.20(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD700L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Robert Scott Thayer always had a passion for manatees, weather, the oceans, and sea life. He is the author of the award-winning Kobee Manatee Children’s Educational Picture Book series. Robert is also a recording artist who writes and sings in the pop, jazz, and children’s genres. Thayer has won several International Music Awards including those from Billboard. Robert’s music is available on iTunes. “Kobee’s Song,” his latest children’s tune, was produced by Grammy award winner Jim Cravero. Thayer received a degree from Temple University in Philadelphia. He is a member of the Author’s Guild, the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), the Save the Manatee Club in Maitland, Florida, and Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI). Robert currently resides in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Learn more about Robert and his children’s series at kobeemanatee.com Lauren Gallegos earned her BFA in Illustration from Cal State Fullerton in 2009. Lauren has illustrated several Children's Books and has won several awards. When she isn't illustrating, Lauren loves hiking and enjoying the beauty of nature. She lives with her husband in Brea, California. See more of Lauren's work at laurengallegos.com

Editorial Reviews

"Kobee and his ocean pals are full of fun, adventure, and inspiration. They give the reader a better sense of the magic and mystery within our ocean world. Following them onto the historic wreck dive of the SS Antonio López off of Puerto Rico, we learn all sorts of fascinating facts about wildlife and dangers, all while being entranced by the camaraderie of these fast friends. Even if one never gets a chance to ‘peek below the blue veneer’ of our planet, the adventures of Kobee and his aquatic mates are sure to make anyone appreciate how precious life is below the waves.”  —Fabien Cousteau, oceanographic explorer and conservationist


"Another creative blending of real-life oceanography and gentle fantasy in a smart and entertaining series."  —Kirkus Reviews


“Children will be drawn to the colors and images, and amused by the story of Kobee and his friends. Far more significantly, they will learn some important information that may help them to appreciate the ocean, and the beauty and diversity of the world beneath the water’s surface.”  —Foreword Reviews

From the Publisher

2016-12-14
In this latest installment of a science- and nature-based picture book series for young children, a curious manatee journeys with old and new aquatic friends to the site of a sunken ship. Fresh from an eventful, hurricane-tossed swim from Key West, Florida, to the Bahamas, Kobee Manatee heads out for another undersea adventure in this third volume that continues the informative series by author Thayer (Kobee Manatee: A Wild Weather Adventure, 2015, etc.) and illustrator Gallegos (Ernie's Wish Tail, 2016, etc.). Accompanied by his pals Pablo, a hermit crab, and Tess, a sea horse, Kobee sets out for San Juan, Puerto Rico, in search of the wreckage of the SS Antonio López, a real-life, 19th-century ship sunk during the Spanish-American War. (Its description is one of "Kobee's Fun Facts," tidbits that are set apart from the story's text and highlighted throughout the book's colorful pages.) On the way to the ship, the band is joined by a lonely octopus named Ben. When Kobee is trapped by a beam while swimming through the wreck, Ben and new friends Alis, a playful goldentail moray eel, and Sandy, a nurse shark, try to help; the arrival of an old friend, Chester, a giant plankton-eating whale shark, saves the day. As with the first two books, the full-page images of ocean flora and fauna and the exaggerated features of Kobee and friends engage the eye in a rich palette of acrylic colors, and the "Fun Facts" scrolls offer depth without denying the young audience a lively story. Most of the well-conceived morsels of information here, again contributed by oceanographer and documentarian Fabien Cousteau, identify species of fish. They include some that children might recognize—lionfish, sawfish, parrot fish—and others likely to be new to them. Among the unfamiliar denizens of the deep: a damselfish, peppermint basslet, spotted eagle ray, and blue-striped grunts, which Tess describes as looking "like lemons with blue lines swimming." A link to Cousteau's Ocean Learning Center is included for any reader interested in further exploration. Another creative blending of real-life oceanography and gentle fantasy in a smart and entertaining series.

Kirkus Reviews