So who exactly is Jacques Cousteau?  I remember watching the TV series as a child, fascinated with all the underwater sea life that Jacques and his crew got to see first-hand ever day. I remember just saying his name as a child, made me feel important.  In Dan Yaccarino’s book, Jacques’ life is laid out in tall pages with bright watercolor illustrations.  Colorful sea creatures, fish and humans fill the pages with contrasting text which are sure to enlighten you as you explore the life of this famous individual.   Each two-page spread has a quote from the famous explorer enclosed inside a bubble which I think adds a humanist feature to his life story.  I learned quite a bit about this famous explorer from his determined personality as he battled some illnesses growing up to inventing his own equipment to fulfill his own desires.  Treading where no other individual had gone before, Jacques opened the world of the ocean to the masses and with this book, we can open the world to what Jacques Cousteau did so many years ago.

 

There is so much for me to like about this book, which the book jacket just does not convey. Opening this book is like looking at the ocean floor while snorkeling around a coral reef.  The size of the book is tall and oversized which helps show off the wonderful watercolor pictures inside. The contrasting colored text inside is easy to read and has a lot of interesting facts which tells about his life without being bogged down by boring particulars that children don’t really care about.  We learn about his life as a child, his hardships and how he never gave up. We learn about what he saw under the sea, his inventions, and some fun adventures that he had.  At the end of the book we are given a list of important events in his life and a list of resources we could use to find more information about his life.  I highly recommend this book.  I recommend it so much; I am going to buy my own copy of it since this was a library book that I had checked out.

I read this on my Kobo in b/w. I actually didn't mind it. The color renders pretty well into grayscale, but I expect the visual experience isn't even close to the same as what I'd get with the picturebook. All indicators in the design and the cover photos point to a colorful 1960s theme. Basic facts about Cousteau's interests and pursuite of the sea beg for more information both in biography and background. Yaccarino does a great job of pointing people to the excellent movies and tv that would help people know why they should care about Cousteau. Unfortunately, the only thing on Netflix is the animated series from 2002.

My Thoughts:The text of this book wowed me. I could not stop reading to see what would happen to Cousteau. I liked its simplicity and its clearness. I liked how accessible the text was, even for the youngest of readers.The illustrations were fun and cartoonish. I didn’t like the colors the Yaccarino used for the water at first, every color except ocean blue, I think, but the colors grew on me, and I grew to love them. I was very surprised how much the children liked this book and how much they were interested in this man’s life.The book also included a table of Cousteau’s life and sources for further study. A Sample:“The fish off the coast of Africa were friendly and curious and did not swim away. Cousteau was the first human being they had ever seen.”Children’s Comments:Alexis, 6, said, "I liked how he went down in the ocean."Vanessa, 6, said, "I liked how he made a camera all by himself."Jony, 6, said, "I liked how he saw the seahorse."Melanie, 6, said, "I liked when he went down in the ocean."Tabitha, 7, said, "I liked how he was on tv."Joey, 6, said, "I liked how he got sick and had to go under the water."Children’s Ratings: 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

I have become rather bored with the soapbox rantings.The solution to pollution is dilution.Jacques Cousteau, way to go!

Picture book-style biographies are my new favorite things. They tend to be--or should I say, the good ones are--focused on a single aspect of the life of the individual, with hints about other things they did. This book focuses on Jacques Cousteaus'fascination, exploration of, and filming of the sea. The illustrations are well-done and not overdone, beautiful in a childlike way. The text is informative, but it reads like a story, not like a textbook.