The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau [Hardcover]

Dan Yaccarino (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2009 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 1 and up

Jacques Cousteau was the world’s ambassador of the oceans. His popular TV series brought whales, otters, and dolphins right into people’s living rooms. Now, in this exciting picturebook biography, Dan Yaccarino introduces young readers to the man behind the snorkel.

From the first moment he got a glimpse of what lived under the ocean’s waves, Cousteau was hooked. And so he set sail aboard the Calypso to see the sea. He and his team of scientists invented diving equipment and waterproof cameras. They made films and televisions shows and wrote books so they could share what they learned. The oceans were a vast unexplored world, and Cousteau became our guide. And when he saw that pollution was taking its toll on the seas, Cousteau became our guide in how to protect the oceans as well.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4—Yaccarino deftly provides information about important events in Cousteau's life while conveying the excitement and wonder that the ocean explorer experienced. Readers learn about his tinkering that resulted in inventions such as the Aqua-Lung and submersibles that expanded the range of undersea exploration and research. Then Cousteau shared his discoveries through films, books, and television, encouraging others to value and protect the oceans from environmental degradation. Effective layout and page design plus colorful gouache illustrations result in a striking visual presentation for small-group sharing or individual viewing. Brief quotations from Cousteau appear in insets on some pages; there is no documentation of Yaccarino's own research. Jennifer Berne's Manfish (Chronicle, 2008) uses more poetic language and features softer, more aquatic colors in the illustrations. Even libraries with that biography will want to add Yaccarino's book to the shelves.—Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
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From Booklist

Yaccarino is best known for his whimsical animal characters, including some, such as Oswald the octopus, who now star in their own television series. Here he switches focus to a real-world, human hero: famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. The brief, evenly paced text, which includes a few direct quotes, describes Cousteau’s lifelong fascination with the sea, filmmaking, and invention, beginning with depictions of the scientist as a young boy, tinkering with cameras and swimming in the ocean to recover from chronic illness. Rendered in gouache and airbrush, the playful illustrations evoke popular mid-twentieth-century patterns and shades—a fitting reference to Cousteau’s professional heyday. A few scenes seem to emphasize design over realistic depictions: undersea vessels, in particular, are indistinct shapes, and Cousteau himself often appears as a stylized figure. The fanciful, textured images give a sense of the sea’s infinite swirl of life, though, and they are further grounded by the solid, straightforward words. Pair this energetic, inspiring biography with Jennifer Berne’s Manfish (2008), another picture-book view of Cousteau’s life and work. Grades K-3. --Gillian Engberg

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (March 24, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375855734
• ISBN-13: 978-0375855733
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 0.4 x 12.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,706 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #74 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Water

More About the Author

Dan has written and illustrated over three dozen children's books and has had the pleasure of working with some of the most prestigious names in children's literature, including Margaret Wise Brown, Jack Prelutsky, Kevin Henkes and Naomi Shabib Nye. Dan has also had the honor of being invited to the White House to share his books and to participate in the annual Easter festivities.

Dan's also created and produced Nickelodeon's animated series, Oswald, as well as the upcoming Willa's Wild Life.

Currently, Dan is writing and illustrating more books and is developing more television as well as feature film projects.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, June 9, 2009

By 

S. hanks (St. Petersburg, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau (Hardcover)

My 9 year old son, who is obsessed with sharks, used this book for a biography presentation on Cousteau. When we started looking for books at our local library on Cousteau, all we found were tons of adult reading material and virtually nothing from a child's perspective. This book introduced Cousteau to the young reader with simple words and beautiful illustrations to inspire future marine biologists. This book tells the story of Cousteau as a youth growing up. Who would have known that Cousteau became a swimmer/diver because he was a very sick child and his doctor told him to swim to gain strength. This kids book was long overdue.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We are human beings, and we have faith, and we have hope"., October 14, 2009

By 

Ana Braga-Henebry (Rural South Dakota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau (Hardcover)

Like many parents our age, I grew up with Jacques Cousteau, the Frenchman who brought the life below the water level to everyone's homes via TV and films. Here is a colorful, friendly picture book about his life and accomplishments. Curious episodes of his life and his conservation efforts are explained in simple language. Also, beautiful, direct quotes from him are found throughout the colorful book, such as:

If we were logical, the future would be bleak indeed. But we are more than logical. We are human beings, and we have faith, and we have hope.

The art is reminiscent of illustrations from the 60s and very pleasant. We read this aloud and some of the facts of his life listed on the last page. We also found plenty on You Tube including longer films of his adventures on his ship, the Calypso.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and heartfelt, December 29, 2010

By 

Holly (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau (Hardcover)

My 3 year old and I are currently working through a themed curriculum about ocean creatures. I went to the library to pick up a dvd on the deep ocean (his favorite thing right now) and bumped into this little gem. I was very inspired by Jacques Cousteau as I was growing up. This story really brought back some fond memories of this man for me. My 3 year old listened intently to the book and asked some questions along the way and talked about Jacques Cousteau a few more times throughout the day today. He seems to be genuinely intrigued. I plan on buying this book for our home library now. I think Jacques Cousteau is such a wonderful example of so many things...persevenace, ingenuity, adventure, responsibility, preservation, education, etc. I hope my son becomes attached to his character just as I did. There is a lot to learn from him. I love the pictures in this book and did not find them "dizzy" as one reviewer said. They are very whimsical and beautiful. I love the story...simple, yet very informative. Lastly, I really enjoyed reading the quotes (I didn't read them to my 3 year old because I figured it might distract him, but I appreciated reading them on my own).