The Earth Heroes books feature the youth, careers and lasting contributions of some of the greatest naturalists and environmentalists in the world. This second book in the series for upper elementary and middle school children introduces great conservationists who explored the oceans and worked to save otters, whales, sharks, sunfish, and other inhabitants of the deep. In almost all cases they were scientists as well as activists and authors, and their passion made a lasting contribution to the world. This volume includes William Beebe, who climbed into a bathysphere and discovered exotic life more than a half mile down; Archie Carr, who discovered the plight of the sea turtles and did much to save them; Jacques Cousteau, inventor of the scuba diving equipment and brought ocean life to televisions across the world; Margaret Wentworth Owings, founder of Friends of the Sea Otter and tireless crusader for marine wildlife; Eugenie Clark, the Shark Lady who showed that sharks are not mindless killers; Roger Payne, who discovered that whales communicate by singing; Sylvia Earle, pioneer Jim Suit and submersible diver; and Tierney Thys, who unraveled the mysteries of the ocean sunfish and brought expanded ocean awareness to TV audiences.
Fran Hodgkins was born in Massachusetts, the youngest of four children. As a child she loved animals and books -- especially books! The neighborhood branch library was one of her favorite haunts, and she spent hours there, reading her way through the children's collection.
"I loved to read, and I found out during middle school that I loved to write just as much." With the encouragement of two teachers, she decided to study journalism.
