Hidden under the Sea

Children's Literature

Before the technology was developed to explore the greatest depths of the sea, anything more than a few feet under water was a mystery. There were tales of mermaids, sea monsters and lost treasure. In this illustrated look under water, each spread focuses on a particular aspect of underwater life or activity. The topics explored include a coral reef, deep diving, war at sea, underwater treasure hunt and working underwater. The process of building a tunnel under the sea is illustrated with a cross section of the chalk through which the tunnel was cut. Fishing with nets is contrasted to surf fishing with lines. A look at a submarine laboratory gives an idea of how scientists work and live underwater. 2001, Dutton Children's Books, $17.99. Ages 7 to 12. Reviewer:Kristin Harris

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-Beginning with legends of the deep, the author presents brief looks at whaling, shipwrecks, dredgers, laboratories and submarines, and underwater war and construction. Unfortunately, a few awkward sentences and facts leave readers dangling. The illustrations have a retro look. Soft gray-greens, gray-blues, and tannish-pinks are backgrounds to slightly cartoonlike drawings of people and equipment. Halfway between Richard Platt's Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections (Knopf, 1992) and Martin Handford's Where's Waldo? (Candlewick, 1997), with a search on each spread and answers at the end of the book, this title brings together many undersea enterprises and will please children who like to pore over detailed pictures of equipment.-Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.