Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea
Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
“A finely told, beautifully illustrated biography that saves a world class scientist from obscurity.” —School Library Journal, starred review
“An ideal introduction to a lesser-known scientist and an important understanding about how the Earth works.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Filled with gorgeous illustrations by acclaimed artist Raúl Colón, this illustrated biography shares the story of female scientist, Marie Tharp, a pioneering woman scientist and the first person to ever successfully map the ocean floor.
Marie Tharp was always fascinated by the ocean. Taught to think big by her father who was a mapmaker, Marie wanted to do something no one had ever done before: map the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Was it even possible? Not sure if she would succeed, Marie decided to give it a try.
Throughout history, others had tried and failed to measure the depths of the oceans. Sailors lowered weighted ropes to take measurements. Even today, scientists are trying to measure the depth by using echo sounder machines to track how long it would take a sound wave sent from a ship to the sea floor to come back. But for Marie, it was like piecing together an immense jigsaw puzzle.
Despite past failures and challenges—sometimes Marie would be turned away from a ship because having a woman on board was “bad luck”—Marie was determined to succeed. And she did, becoming the first person to chart the ocean floor, helping us better understand the planet we call home.
Award-winning author Robert Burleigh tells her story of imagination and perseverance. Beautifully illustrated by Raúl Colón, Look Up! is a book that will inspire readers to follow their dreams.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Burleigh and Col n follow 2013's Look Up! with the story of another female scientist, Marie Tharp. Raised by a mapmaker, Tharp developed an early interest in exploring uncharted land; her passion eventually led her to the oceans. Burleigh gives readers an up-close view of Tharp's experiences and hunches through a first-person perspective: "Could the seafloor really be mapped? I thought so and I wanted to give it a try!" Despite discrimination she faced as a woman, Tharp became an accomplished scientist, mapping the Atlantic using soundings and helping advance the theory of plate tectonics. Col n's warm watercolor-and-pencil art brings warmth and energy to the pages through his thatched and wavelike textures, while an afterword provides further detail about Tharp's undertaking. Ages 4 8.
