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The Kingfisher Young People's Book of OCEANS

No library should be without a new ocean atlas for students, The Kingfisher Young People's Book of OCEANS.

One way or another, the future of the Earth and its inhabitants is closely bound up with the oceans.

Those words, conclude -- and sum up -- The Kingfisher Young People's Book of OCEANS, a book about Earth's oceans, the plants and animals that live in our oceans, and the people and animals that depend upon the oceans' resources. This clearly written and beautifully illustrated book, though intended as a reference tool for students, is one that adults will want to read and learn from as well.

The story of Earth's oceans begins 200 million years ago and Oceans begins there as well, as it traces the history of the four major seas. The author discusses the theory of continental drift, the formation of the oceans, and the fossil evidence that has provided scientists with the means to understand how the oceans formed and evolved even as they study the state of the oceans today.

Today's oceans are home to a wide variety of plant and animal life and Oceans discusses many of them in detail, helping students understand not just ocean life, but also how that life has evolved and become interdependent. Readers will learn about the marine food chain, discover how sea fish have adapted to ocean life, and discover fascinating facts about ocean mammals. Readers can then plunge farther into the ocean depths to learn about the elusive creatures that live on the ocean floor or move above the surface to find out about the birds and other animals that live on land but depend upon the oceans for their lives. Then, Oceans discusses the effect the oceans have on the land that surrounds them, explains how sand is created, and touches upon the effects oceans have on inland rivers.

Finally, Oceans explores ocean uses and resources and discusses the natural and human-made dangers that threaten the oceans and those who venture near their watery depths. Students can learn what is being done, and what they can do, to ensure that the oceans -- and with them Earth and its inhabitants -- continue to thrive.

Oceans is truly a remarkable book -- providing interesting reading as well as a valuable reference tool for those interested in learning more about the most important of Earth's resources. The text, rich in facts and vividly descriptive, hardly requires additional illustration. Yet the full-color photographs that accompany the text bring each subject to life in such a way that students will feel they have actually seen and touched the ocean, the shore, and the plants and animals that live there.

The appendix of Oceans provides brief biographies of important oceanographers who have contributed to man's understanding of the oceans since the 1700s and a comprehensive glossary of oceanographic terms.

If your local bookstore doesn't have a copy of The Kingfisher Young People's Book of Oceans, ask the manager to order it for you. The book is published by Larousse Kingfisher Chambers Inc., 95 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016.

Be sure to see last week's Education World BOOKS IN EDUCATION story, Five New Books Celebrate (and Teach About) Our Earth!, for additional titles related to Earth's oceans.

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
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