Kobee Manatee: Climate Change and The Great Blue Hole Hazard

by Robert Scott Thayer BA, Lauren Gallegos BA (Illustrator)

Overview

Another award-winning Kobee Manatee®hardcover picture book! Kobee and his friends swim from the Cayman Islands to Belize to help Kobee’s cousin Quinn with her new underwater all-veggie bistro.
 
On their Caribbean journey to Quinn’s Seagrass Café, Kobee Manatee and his seafaring pals encounter the harmful effects of climate change and plastic pollution, along with several other unforeseen problems.
 
They discover a distressed sea turtle, a giant Portuguese man-of-war, and a venomous scorpionfish. Then the friends discover the amazing Great Blue Hole. Their adventure takes another surprising turn when Pablo plunges into its huge abyss! Can Kobee and his buddies save Pablo?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780997123999
Publisher:	Thompson Mill Press
Publication date:	09/28/2021
Series:	Kobee Manatee
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	11.00(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD790L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Robert Scott Thayer is passionate about manatees, weather, and the oceans. He is the author of the award-winning Kobee Manatee® Children’s Educational 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” 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, SCBWI, and BMI. Learn more 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 and 2 young kids in Southern California. See more of Lauren's work at laurengallegos.com

Editorial Reviews

"Kobee Manatee is a lovable and magnetic host, leading readers into the waters that cover 70% of the earth while opening young minds to the connections between human actions and marine ecosystems. Creating opportunities, which inspire love for our marine animals can cultivate an environmentally responsible conscience that can last a lifetime." —Dr. Tracy Fanara, Inspector Planet & NOAA Coastal Portfolio Modeling Manager

“Robert Scott Thayer presents an important environmental message in an engaging story with wonderful characters. Anyone who loves the ocean and wants to help save it should read Kobee Manatee: Climate Change and The Great Blue Hole Hazard. I’m looking forward to the next Kobee Manatee adventure.” —Readers' Favorite

"A well-crafted, thoughtful, and well-illustrated addition to a noteworthy educational book series." —Kirkus Reviews

“We are happy to award deserving books like Kobee Manatee Climate Change and The Great Blue Hole Hazard. Our panel of judges really felt this book merited a place on our list of the best in family-friendly products that parents and educators can feel confident in using.” —Dawn Matheson, CEO, Mom’s Choice Awards

From the Publisher

2021-05-03
A well-traveled manatee guides young readers through an undersea journey in this lively, informational picture book.

Always up for exciting aquatic adventures, wise Kobee Manatee and his friends, Pablo the hermit crab and Tess the seahorse, leave the Cayman Islands for a roughly 500-mile swim to the Belize Barrier Reef. Their destination: the Seagrass Café, run by Kobee’s cousin, who needs help cleaning up plastic litter before she can host her guests. Off the coast of Belize, too, is the must-see Great Blue Hole, which Kobee tells his friends is “one of the most amazing places on Earth”; one of many “Kobee’s Fun Facts”—short, clearly written text boxes sprinkled liberally throughout the book—informs readers that “The Great Blue Hole is so deep that sunlight cannot reach its depths, and plants and plankton can’t survive.” Some other facts aren’t exactly “fun,” in that they observe the alarming issue of damage to ocean life due to climate change and massive dumping of plastics and other toxic waste. However, they do reflect careful research and also offer information for kids and families, such as a list of ocean-conservation organizations. These encapsulated asides give weight to the charm of Thayer’s storytelling and the colorful, cartoon-style characters courtesy of illustrator Gallegos; Kobee sports a purple cap and yellow vest, Tess has glamorous pink hair, and the depiction of life in the ocean effectively draws on both fact and fantasy. Fueled by themes of friendship, cooperation, and compassion, the trio’s eventful journey also doesn’t lack for excitement, either: Pablo uses his claws to free a sea turtle from bindings of plastic, the friends are nearly stung by a Portuguese man-of-war, and Kobee rescues Tess from a scorpionfish.

A well-crafted, thoughtful, and well-illustrated addition to a noteworthy educational book series.

Kirkus Reviews