The Oceanology Handbook: A Course for Underwater Explorers

Explore the ocean’s wonders, real and . . . imagined? Dive into this essential handbook to discover some lesser-known secrets of the sea.

What’s the difference between a steamer and a schooner? How would you navigate in stormy seas? How are underwater volcanoes formed? And which creatures lurk in the inky depths of the deepest oceans? All this and much more await eager young oceanologists in this exciting handbook, prepared for Zoticus de Lesseps, the young author of Oceanology, by his tutor, Professor Aronnax, during their around-the-world journey aboard the mysterious Captain Nemo’s Nautilus.

Among the book’s special features: 
* four pages of stickers featuring sea creatures, ships, treasure, and diving equipment 
* activities for the reader on nearly every spread 
* a pull-out letter from Professor Aronnax to Zoticus 
* a removable Beaufort scale chart of the winds — an indispensable resource for seafarers!

Gr 4-7–The text is cleverly presented as a facsimile of an 1863 document purportedly written by a passenger aboard Jules Verne's fictional submarine, the Nautilus. Definitions and descriptions of practical applications of oceanography are imaginatively presented on sepia-toned pages. The entries are brief but packed with information. One page displays the semaphore alphabet and includes a message for readers to translate. The answer is revealed in the “Solutions” section, which also contains the answers to the other challenges scattered throughout the text. Every page has illustrations; some, such as the maps of the currents and of the Earth's plates, are in color. The chapter entitled “A Shifting Surface” contains a cleverly inserted “Publisher Note” that attests to the prescience of the writer when facts not known in 1863, such as the theory of plate tectonics, are presented. The detachable sheet of colored stickers and letter in an envelope on the marbled endpapers could be removed before the book is ready for circulation. Informative and engaging, this attractive title will appeal to browsers and be useful for reports.–Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.