The Seven Seas: Exploring the World Ocean - Hardcover

Linda Vieira made her debut into the world of children's books with Walker & Company's The Ever Living Tree . Her second book, Grand Canyon was named a Society of School Librarians International Honor Book. She lives in Indianapolis, Indiana, with her Labrador retriever, Hannah.

Higgins Bond earned her B.F.A. from the Memphis College of Art. She is the illustrator of several children's books, including When I Was Little and Do Whales Have Belly Buttons? She has also created commemorative stamps for the U.S. Postal Service. Higgins lives in Nashville, Tennessee. The Seven Seas is her first book with Walker & Company.

Grade 2-5-Vieira presents a host of information about the ocean through 14 double-page chapters. Each spread opens with a heading that begins with the phrase "The Sea Is." The information is presented chronologically, starting with violent earthquakes that formed the surface of the Earth and an explanation of why "Together, the oceans, seas, and gulfs are called `the Seven Seas-.'" Along the way, the author presents explorers, pirates, researchers, and a wealth of other interesting material that children will find intriguing. The final two spreads tell how the sea is threatened by fertilizers, pesticides, and the widening hole in the ozone layer and concludes with an explanation of how essential the sea is to our life. Although the book does not have an index or table of contents, students will find it helpful for reports and will want to browse through it as well as read it from start to finish. Time lines at the top of each spread and a full-page glossary are useful additions. From the opening endpapers with the curve of a crashing wave to the same concluding pages, the realistic, acrylic illustrations, done mainly in vivid blues, envelop and transport readers to these waters. Fascinating and well presented, this book will capture the imagination as it informs. A perfect addition for all libraries looking for a quality resource about our fragile planet and its oceans.
Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego
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