Jacques cousteau biography kids books
It’s Wednesday so that means time to take a look at a great non-fiction picture book! Thank you again to Alyson at Kid Lit Frenzy for hosting this awesome link-up. We are finding a ton of great books through all of these blog recommendations.
This week I wanted to focus on a great book that I found while trolling the juvenile biography section at our local library – Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau.
This is a beautiful biography about the great Jacques Cousteau. J is a huge lover of all things having to do with the ocean, especially if dolphins are involved. She has long talked about being a marine biologist and can spend hours in aquariums. For her, this was an eye-opening story about the man who revolutionized how we visit and view the depths of the ocean.
As a child, Jacques was a curious boy. He loved water and questioned how it worked – why he floated, why rocks sank. He dreamed that one day he would be able to breathe underwater. He loved to experiment and design machines. He also loved movies, which was a different medium then it is today. He filmed everything around him and got everyone in his family involved. When he was given a pair of goggles and was able to see under the the ocean’s waves, his life was changed forever – he had to find a way to become a manfish.
Through experimentation, trial-and-error and perseverance, he helped create the aqua-lung, the first self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA). Next, he figured out a way to bring a movie camera into the depths of the sea and were able to show the general public unimagined sights. “They swam with giant whales, hitched rides on sea turtles, and made friends with porpoises with shining eyes and smiling faces.”
Fast forward a number of years and “Jacques saw that people, without realizing it, were slowing killing the sea and its creatures, by dumping garbage and poisonous chemicals into the ocean he loved so much.” I
Once upon a time in France, a baby was born under the summer sun. His parents named him Jacques. As he grew, Jacques fell in love with the sea. He dreamed of breathing beneath the waves and swimming as gracefully as a fish. In fact, he longed to become a manfish. Jacques Cousteau grew up to become a champion of the seas and one of the best-known oceanographers in the world. In this lovely biography, now in paperback, poetic text and gorgeous paintings come together to create a portrait of Cousteau that is as magical as it is inspiring.
Title: Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau (Jacques Cousteau Book for Kids, Children's Ocean Book, Underwater Picture Book for Kids)
Author Name:Berne, Jennifer
ISBN Number: 1452141231
ISBN-13: 9781452141237
Location Published: Chronicle Books: March 2015
Binding:Trade Paperback
Book Condition: Used - Good
Categories:*Child - AR2
Seller ID:195787
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau (Jacques Cousteau Book for Kids, Children's Ocean Book, Underwater Picture Book for Kids) (Paperback)
By Jennifer Berne, Éric Puybaret (Illustrator)
$9.99
Usually Arrives in 3-5 Business Days
Description
Once upon a time in France, a baby was born under the summer sun. His parents named him Jacques. As he grew, Jacques fell in love with the sea. He dreamed of breathing beneath the waves and swimming as gracefully as a fish. In fact, he longed to become a manfish. Jacques Cousteau grew up to become a champion of the seas and one of the best-known oceanographers in the world. In this lovely biography, now in paperback, poetic text and gorgeous paintings come together to create a portrait of Cousteau that is as magical as it is inspiring.
About the Author
Jennifer Berne is the author of the acclaimed On a Beam of Light. She writes children's books about our amazing universe and the people who are passionate about it. She lives in Copake, New York.
Éric Puybaret is an award-winning illustrator of several books for children. He lives in Paris, France.
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