Life in the Ocean: The Story of Oceanographer Sylvia Earle
Written and Illustrated by Claire A. Nivola
Published by Farrar, Straus, & Giroux in 2012
Grades 1 – 8
Book Review
“Sylvia had always wanted to know what it was like to live in the sea, to be a part of daily life of the underwater world. “ Beginning with her early interest in observing life in the natural world, author / illustrator Claire Nivola presents the life story of pioneering oceanographer Sylvia Earle in a visually compelling picture book biography. At the age of twelve, Sylvia moved with her family to coastal Florida, where, while exploring the shoreline using swim goggles, she “lost her heart” to the ocean. Nivola captures Sylvia’s determination to “dive deeper and see more,” listing a progression of personal accomplishments and ‘firsts’ for the field, including a two week immersion in a deep-sea laboratory. This experience forever changed Sylvia’s view of the ocean creatures and inspired lifelong advocacy efforts for ocean conservation. Alternating between blue immersion and bright detailed images reflecting the diversity of color in ocean life, Nivola’s watercolor spreads inspire deep appreciation of the fascinating undersea world. An author’s note provides further detail on Earle’s accomplishments and advocacy efforts, while describing the many current threats to ocean life. Throughout the text, Nivola emphasizes the vast unknown nature of our ocean, claiming that “we know more about the planets in outer space than we know about the sea on our very own home planet.” Nivola and Earle invite us to dive in, to explore, to learn more………
Teaching Invitations
Grades 1-6
- Early Inspirations / What will I be? In the words of the author, Sylvia Earle “was a biologist and a botanist long before she even knew what those words meant.” Reread Life in the Ocean to identify Sylvia’s path from childhood interest in nature to internationally known oceanographer and conservationist. Invite your students to think, write, and draw about an interest that they currently have and to speculate about where that interest might lead them. You could expand this activity by having students research careers in and key figures in fields related to their current interests. For more, see the Mentors and Research activity in our Bird Talk entry.
- Illustrating the Underwater World. Read Life in the Oceanalongside two titles featured in a previous Classroom Bookshelf entry, Coral Reef written and illustrated by Jason Chin and Wow! Ocean! by Robert Neubecker. Gather together a collection of picture books with undersea settings that feature the use of different artistic media and styles, such as Fish Wish by Bob Barner, Life in a Coral Reef by Wendy Pfeffer and illustrated by Steve Jenkins, Sea Horse: The Shyest Fish in the Sea by Chris Butterworth and illustrated by John Lawrence, and I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry. Discuss the aesthetic responses inspired by different styles and media and compare the works to actual photos and/or web cams of undersea scenes. Collaborate with your art teacher to offer your students the opportunity to make their own undersea scenes. Students can sketch their work with pencil and then reproduce their sketch multiple times, using different media. Matte and/or frame their works of art and hang them in hallways for all to enjoy.
- Ocean Poetry. In the introductory segment of Life in the Ocean, Nivola quotes Sylvia Earle referring to the ocean as “the blue heart of the planet.” Invite children to explore their own aesthetic responses to the ocean, drawing on either first hand experiences, or multimedia experiences. Use the poetry books In the Sea by David Elliot, Hotel Deep: Light Verse From Dark Water by Kurt Cyrus, and In the Swim: Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian as mentor texts for student composed poems.
Grades 2-6
- Picture Book Biographies of Women Conservationists. Pair Life in the Ocean with other picture book biographies of women conservationists, such as Jane Goodall (see our Classroom Bookshelf entry on Me, Jane and The Watcher), Wangari Matthai, whose work is explored in several excellent picture book biographies, including one by Claire Nivola. Compare the life stories, commitments, and accomplishments of these amazing women.
- History and Technology of Ocean Exploration. Engage your students in research on the history of ocean exploration. Using the online resources below, divide students up into small groups responsible for learning about ocean exploration history and technology during certain time periods. Ask each group to contribute to a timeline that will illustrate key discoveries. ‘firsts,’ and innovations. Use Voice Thread, PowerPoint, or posterboard to display your co-constructed timeline.
- Sylvia Earle, Pioneer. Invite your students to learn more about Sylvia Earle and her achievements by reading additional biographies and her autobiographical writings (see the listing of titles below). Begin the process by reading aloud Life in the Ocean and generating a list of questions that your students have about Sylvia and her life. Then, explore multimedia resources to find answers to their questions. Be sure to include the many informative online videos linked below in your investigation.
Critical Literacy
Grades 3 – 8
- 2010 Oil Spill in the Gulf. In the author’s note of Life in the Ocean, Nivola describes Sylvia Earle’s responses to the clean up efforts in the gulf. Read a transcript of Sylvia Earle’s testimony before congress on the issue accessible at http://www.oceanleadership.org/2010/sylvia-earle-to-u-s-congress-cheap-oil-is-costing-us-the-earth/Invite your students to learn more about the explosion on Deepwater Horizon and the consequences of this massive oil spill. Discuss the many contentious issues related to oil drilling and oil spill clean up methods, considering the perspectives and positioning of the various stakeholders, including BP, Gulf fishermen, the tourism industry, ocean conservationists, and all of us who rely on oil indirectly or directly in our daily lives.
- Coral Reef Endangerment. Please see the critical literacy activity and bibliography about coral reef bleaching in our previous two-book entry on Coral Reef and Wow! Ocean!
Further Explorations
Online Resources
National Geographic, Sylvia Earle, Explore in Residence
TED Speaker Series: Sylvia Earle
Time Magazine: Sylvia Earle video
Monterey Bay Aquarium
National Aquarium Baltimore
Georgia Aquarium
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Geographic: The Ocean
National Geographic Kids: Video
Impact of Climate Change on Coral Reefs
New York Times: Times Topics: Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill
Books
Archbold, (1996). Deep sea explorer: The story of Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
- This biography for older readers presents the accomplishments of Robert Ballard, the Woods Hole Oceanographic scientist who found the wreck of the Titanic and pioneered undersea exploration equipment.
Baker, B. (2006). Sylvia Earle. Minneapolis, MN: Lerner Publications.
- Part of the Just the Facts series, this biography of oceanographer Sylvia Earle is written for intermediate grade readers.
Barner, B. (2000). Fish wish. New York: Holiday House.
- Following a trip to an aquarium a boy imagines himself a fish swimming in a coral reef; this picture book, which also blends fantasy and nonfiction incorporates is illustrated in mixed media collage.
Berne, J. (2008). Manfish: A story of Jacques Cousteau. Ill. by E. Puybaret. San Francisco: Chronicle.
- This picture book biography presents the life and passion of the famous oceanographer who invented the aqualung.
Butterworth, C. (2006). Sea horse: The shyest fish in the sea. Ill. by J. Lawrence. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
- Spectacular and detailed vinyl engravings depict the life cycle of the sea horse in this informative picture book.
Cyrus, K. (2005). Hotel deep: Light verse from dark water. Orlando, FL: Harcourt.
- A collection of twenty-one rhyming poems that celebrate the diversity of life in the sea.
Earle, S.A. (2003). Coral reefs. Ill. by B. Matthews. Washington DC: National Geographic.
- Written by marine biologist Sylvia Earle, this title in the Jump into Science series introduces readers to the life cycles of the coral reef.
Earle, S.A. (1999). Dive: My adventures in the deep frontier. Washington DC: National Geographic.
- The marine biologist and conservationist describes her adventures, motivations, and research in this autobiographical title.
Earle, S.A. (1999). Hello fish!: Visiting the coral reef. Washington DC: National Geographic.
- With oversized photographs and brief text, the famous marine biologist, introduces readers to twelve fish who inhabit the coral reefs.
Elliott, D. (2012). In the Sea. Ill. by H. Meade. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
- Holly Meade’s woodcut illustrations accompany rhyming poems about the creatures of the ocean.
Florian. D. (2007). In the swim: Poems and paintings. San Diego, CA: Harcourt.
- In his signature style, Florian presents an illustrated collection of nonfiction poems about marine life.
Jenkins, S. (2009). Down, down, down: A journey to the bottom of the sea. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
- With his distinctive paper collage illustrations, the author explores the regions that comprise the depths of the ocean.
Landau, E. (2011). Oil spill!; Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Minneapolis, MN: Millbrook Press.
- The complexity of the clean up efforts associated with the explosion on board Deepwater Horizon are detailed in this text for intermediate grade readers.
Markle, S. (1999). Down, down, down in the ocean. Ill. by B. Marstall. New York: Walker.
- An exploration of ocean life at three different depths off the coast of California.
McDonell, P. (2011). Me…. Jane. New York: Little, Brown, and Co.
- See our Classroom Bookshelf entry on this picture book biography at http://classroombookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/05/me-jane-watcher.html
Nivola, C. (2008).Planting the trees of Kenya: The story of Wangari Maathai. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
- A picture book biography of Kenyan activist Wangari Maathai, founder of the Green Belt Movement.
Sherry, K. (2007). I’m the biggest thing in the ocean. New York: Dial Books.
- A giant squid compares his size to various other ocean creatures, but has to curtail his bragging when he is swallowed by a giant whale; this picture book incorporates cartoon style illustrations.
Turner, P.S. (2010). Project seahorse. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
- Part of the wonderful Scientists in the Field series, this title features scientists’ and community members’ multifaceted efforts to save endangered seahorses in a coral reef off of the Philippines.
Winter, J. (2011). The watcher: Jane Goodall’s life with the chimps. New York: Schwartz and Wade Books.
- See our Classroom Bookshelf entry on this picture book biography at http://classroombookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/05/me-jane-watcher.html
Filed under: Nonfiction
About Erika Thulin Dawes
Erika is a professor of language and literacy at Lesley University. A former classroom teacher, reading specialist, and literacy supervisor, she now teaches courses in children’s literature, early literacy, and literacy methods. Erika is the co-author of Learning to Write with Purpose, Teaching with Text Sets, and Teaching to Complexity.
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We recently read and love this book. We followed it with a trip to the aquarium and now my five-year-old is poring over the mollusks in the animal encyclopedia.