Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle

by Claire A. Nivola, Claire A. Nivola (Illustrator)

Overview

Sylvia Earle first lost her heart to the ocean as a young girl when she discovered the wonders of the Gulf of Mexico in her backyard. As an adult, she dives even deeper. Whether she's designing submersibles, swimming with the whales, or taking deep-water walks, Sylvia Earle has dedicated her life to learning more about what she calls "the blue heart of the planet." With stunningly detailed pictures of the wonders of the sea, Life in the Ocean tells the story of Sylvia's growing passion and how her ocean exploration and advocacy have made her known around the world. This picture book biography also includes an informative author's note that will motivate young environmentalists.

Life in the Ocean is one of The Washington Post's Best Kids Books of 2012

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374380687
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	03/13/2012
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	NC1170L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Claire A. Nivola has written and illustrated many books for children, including Life in the Ocean, which received three starred reviews. She is also the author of Planting the Trees of Kenya, a picture book about Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai. She lives with her husband in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts.

Claire A. Nivola has written and illustrated many books for children, including Life in the Ocean, which received three starred reviews. She is also the author of Planting the Trees of Kenya, a picture book about Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai. She lives with her husband in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts.

Editorial Reviews

...the varied images, atypical seascapes, and account of how one individual was able to realize her goal to see these wonders should spark the imaginations of countless budding scientists.” —Science

“Nivola's mixed-media paintings are undeniably lovely, with myriad shades of blue bathing familiar and mysterious forms of sea life at different ocean depths…” —BCCB

“...exquisitely detailed...” —Horn Book

“…sure to inspire the next generation…” —Booklist, starred

“Readers lucky enough to dive into the unknown world of the renowned oceanographer will discover how a child's curiosity grew into a passion to explore and protect ‘the blue heart of the planet.'” —School Library Journal, starred

“Young explorers will be happy to dive into this captivatingly illustrated biography of the renowned oceanographer.” —Kirkus, starred

“…the sea takes center stage, inviting readers to swim along with Earle herself.” —New York Times

From the Publisher

Young explorers will be happy to dive into this captivatingly illustrated biography of the renowned oceanographer. Blue is everywhere, as is the marvelous diversity of undersea life, as Nivola recounts Earle's passion for the oceans. From early childhood, she cultivated her love of nature; her family's move to Florida, close to the Gulf of Mexico's enthralling depths, clinched things. From then on, Earle's explorations took her further and deeper. She helped design devices that allowed dives to profound underwater depths and witnessed the extraordinary phenomenon of bioluminescence. She lived for two weeks beneath the waves in a deep-sea station. Studies of whales yielded nearly magical observations. The detailed, richly colored, jewel-like illustrations capture the majesty of the undersea world and its astonishingly beautiful inhabitants. Nivola is careful to show Earle in perspective, so readers can fully comprehend the ocean's vastness and understand that humans are merely a part of the amazing richness of life on Earth and under its waters. A delicious invitation to swim with the fishes. (author's note, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews

With wonderful details and color, the book follows [Earle's] quest, starting with just a pair of goggles, to explore more and more of the sea.
—The Washington Post

Abby McGanney Nolan