Books to Read
There are so many fine books about the sea, you’re sure to find plenty
to enjoy. The books listed here are only a sampling. Your school or
public library will have many more.
Ages 5 to 8
A First Look at Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses by Millicent E. Selsam
and Joyce Hunt (Walker, 1988)
The authors of this book give you a close look at the specialized bodies
of these marine mammals.
How to Hide an Octopus and Other
Sea Creatures by Ruth Heller (Putnam, 1986)
Try to find the octopus and other sea creatures that are hidden in the
ocean world pictures.
Sharks by Russell Freedman (Holiday, 1985)
Sharks must swim continuously, or they will sink to the bottom of the
ocean.
Find out why in this book.
Where the Waves Break, Life at the Edge of the Sea by Anita Malnig
(Carolrhoda, 1985)
Take this book with you when you go beachcombing to help you identify
sea animals and plants.
The Wonderful World of Seals and
Whales by Sandra Lee Crow (National Geographic Society, 1984)
Beautiful photographs help you learn about the habits of seals and
whales and how they live in their underwater world.
World of a Jellyfish by David Shale and Jennifer Coldrey (Gareth
Stevens, 1986)
Jellyfish are such unusual animals! Find out what makes them so special.
World of Crabs by Jennifer Coldrey (Gareth Stevens, 1986)
How crabs feed themselves and how they defend themselves are just two of
the topics covered in this book.
Ages 9 and Up
All About Whales by Dorothy Hinshaw
Patent (Holiday, 1987)
Did you know that sperm whales sometimes dine on giant squid? Or that
humpback whales engage in “bubble feeding”? These facts and others are
presented in this book.
The Dangerous Life of the Sea Horse
by Miriam Schlein (Atheneum, 1986) What does a sea horse father do that
other fathers cannot? Find out the answer to this and other questions in
this book.
Dive to the Coral Reefs by the New
England Aquarium Staff (Crown, 1986) The authors and photographers who
made this book are scientists and divers. They show the formation of
coral reefs and the many plants and animals that live there.
Dolphins and Porpoises by Dorothy
Hinshaw Patent (Holiday, 1987) People are fascinated by dolphins and
porpoises because they are so smart and playful. Learn more about these
very special ocean creatures.
Exploring the Sea: Oceanography
Today by Carveil Hall Blair (Random, 1986)
Do you think that you’d like to study the sea? That’s what
oceanographers do.
Homes in the Sea: From the Shore to the Deep by Jean H. Sibbald
(Dillon, 1986)
This book examines many of the animals that inhabit the ocean.
Land Under the Sea by Hershell H. and
Joan Lowery Nixon (Putnam, 1985) The authors of this book describe how
oceanographers map the bottom of the sea.
Man-of-War at Sea by David Shale and
Jennifer Coldrey (Gareth Stevens, 1986)
This book tells about the habits and describes the features of the
Portuguese man-of-war.
Monster Seaweeds: The Story of the
Giant Kelps by Mary Daegling (Dillon, 1986)
Kelp, a kind of seaweed, is the largest and fastest growing plant in the
ocean. The author also tells us how it is used in the sea and on land.
Night of Ghosts and Hermits:
Nocturnal Life on the Seashore by
Mary Stolz (Harcourt, 1985)
Come along with this author to explore the seashore at night and to
learn about the nighttime activities of some creatures that live there.
Ocean Life by Rick Morris (EDC Pub., 1983)
This book focuses on the unusual and unexplained side of sea life.
Oceans by Martyn Bramwell (Watts, 1984)
Color photographs, drawings, and maps of the four major oceans enhance
this book.
Oceans in Peril by John C. Fine (Atheneum, 1987)
The author of this book is an authority on one of the earth’s most
valuable natural resources—water. He shares his ideas about how we can
treat our oceans carefully and keep them clean.
The Sea World Book of Seals and Sea
Lions by Phyllis Roberts Evans (Harcourt, 1986)
Learn about pinnipeds, or “fin-footed” animals, in this interesting
book.
Strange Eating Habits of Sea
Creatures by Jean H. Sibbald (Dillon, 1986)
As the author explains the eating habits of many sea animals, one point
comes across loud and clear—sea creatures depend upon each other
constantly.
Whales, the Nomads of the Sea by
Helen Roney Sattler (Lothrop, 1987) Not only does the author share
factual information about whales, but she tells about her personal
experiences with them. An illustrated glossary of terms is included.
Also, look for Sharks, the Super Fish by the same author.
The World’s Oceans by Cass R. Sandak
(Watts, 1987)
Underwater archaeology, which includes the study of ancient sunken
ships, is one of many subjects in this fascinating book.
The World of Sharks by Andrew
Langley (Bookwright, 1988)
Sharks come in over two hundred different shapes and sizes! Learn about
some of them in this book.
New words
Here are some of the words you have met in this book. Many of them may
be new to you, but all have something to do with the sea. Next to each
word, you’ll see how to say the word: antenna (an TEHN uh). The part
in capital letters is said a little more loudly than the rest of the
word. One or two sentences under each word tell what the word means.
antenna (an TEHN uh)
An antenna is one of the long, slender feelers on the head of some
animals, such as the lobster.
arthropod (AHR thruh pahd)
An arthropod is an animal with a jointed body, a shell, and three or
more pairs of legs. A shrimp is an arthropod. See also crustacean.
astrolabe (AS truh layb)
An astrolabe is an ancient navigating instrument. Sailors used it to
measure the angle between the horizon and the sun or a star in order to
find out how far north or south they were. See also quadrant.
atmosphere (AT muh sfihr)
The atmosphere is the air that surrounds the earth.
billow [(bihl]{.smallcaps} oh)
A billow is a great, swelling wave, breaker (BRAYK uhr)
A breaker is a wave that breaks into foam as it crashes on the shore,
chronometer (kruh NAHM uh tuhr)
A chronometer is a very accurate and sensitive clock used for
navigation. It helps sailors find out how far east or west they are.
coelenterate (sih [lehn]{.smallcaps} tuh rayt)
A coelenterate is one of a group of sea animals that are largely
stomachs with tentacles. See also tentacle.
compass (KUHM puhs)
A compass is a direction-finding instrument used for navigation. It has
a magnetic needle that always points to the north.
course (kawrs)
The direction in which a ship is going is called the ship’s course. A
ship that is going in the right direction is said to be \”on course.”
crustacean (kruhs TAY shuhn)
A crustacean is any one of a large group of animals with a hard shell, a
jointed body, and no backbone. They live mostly in water. Crabs,
lobsters, and shrimp are crustaceans. They are part of a larger class of
animals called arthropods. See also arthropod.
diatom (DY uh tahm)
A diatom is any one of many very tiny water plants with a hard shell.
Diatoms are a basic part of the food chain of the ocean.
echinoderm (ih KY nuh durm)
An echinoderm is any one of a group of small sea animals with a tough
skin covered with bumps or thorny points, galleon (GAL ee uhn)
The galleon, a large sailing ship that was designed for fighting,
appeared in the 1500’s. It had three or four masts, square and
triangular sails, three or four decks, and cannons on each side,
hydrogen (HY druh juhn)
Hydrogen, a gas without color or odor, combines with oxygen to form
water, lodestone [(lohd]{.smallcaps} stohn)
Lodestone, or loadstone, is a hard, black stone that acts like a magnet.
Long ago, these stones were used as direction-finding instruments. If an
oblong lodestone is hung by a string, or placed on a piece of wood and
floated in a bowl of water, it will point north and south.
log glass [(lawg]{.smallcaps} glas)
A log glass is a small timing device in which sand trickles from the top
part to the bottom part in half a minute. It was used with a log
line—a line with equally spaced knots along its length and a piece of
wood (the log) tied to the end. The log was tossed into the water and
the line allowed to run out. The number of knots that ran out in half a
minute (as timed by the log glass) was the speed of the ship. From this,
sailors could work out the distance traveled in a given period of time.
The use of a knotted log line led to measuring a ship’s speed in units
called knots.
mammal [(mam]{.smallcaps} uhl)
A mammal is any one of a group of warm-blooded animals that is fed milk
from the mother’s body and has some hair on its body. Walruses, whales,
and dolphins are mammals.
marine archaeologist
(muh [reen]{.smallcaps} ahr kee [ahl]{.smallcaps} uh jihst) A marine
archaeologist is a person who studies ancient objects found in the sea.
marine biologist
(muh [reen]{.smallcaps} by [ahl]{.smallcaps} uh jihst) A marine
biologist is a person who studies all of the different kinds of animals
and plants that live in the sea.
marine geologist
(muh [reen]{.smallcaps} jee [ahl]{.smallcaps} uh jihst)
A marine geologist is a person who studies the land beneath the sea.
mollusk [(mahl]{.smallcaps} uhsk)
A mollusk is one of a group of animals with a soft body and no backbone.
Most have some kind of shell. Octopuses and clams are mollusks,
navigation (nav uh [gay]{.smallcaps} shuhn) Navigation is the art or
science of figuring out the position or course of a ship at sea.
nocturnal (nahk [tur]{.smallcaps} nuhl)
A nocturnal was an ancient instrument used for finding the time at night
by means of the stars.
oceanographer (oh shuh [nahg]{.smallcaps} ruh fuhr) An oceanographer
is a person who studies the ocean and marine life. It is not a single
science, but a number of basic sciences used together.
oxygen [(ahk]{.smallcaps} suh juhn)
Oxygen is a gas without color, odor, or taste. It is part of the air you
breathe. Most animals and plants cannot live without oxygen. Oxygen
combines with hydrogen to form water. See also hydrogen.
plankton [(plangk]{.smallcaps} tuhn)
Plankton is a huge, drifting mass of tiny plants and animals. It is food
for many of the animals of the sea.
quadrant [(kwahd]{.smallcaps} ruhnt)
A quadrant is an instrument that was used to measure the angle between
the horizon and the sun or a star. It helped sailors find out how far
north or south they were. But before long, sailors began to use another
instrument, the astrolabe, for the same purpose. See also
astrolabe.
reptile [(rep]{.smallcaps} tuhl)
A reptile is one of a group of scaly skinned, cold-blooded animals that
have a backbone and breathe by means of lungs. Snakes and turtles are
reptiles.
spyglass [(spy]{.smallcaps} glas)
A spyglass is a small telescope, submersible (suhb [mur]{.smallcaps}
suh buhl)
A submersible is a boat or other vessel made for underwater research.
tentacle [(tehn]{.smallcaps} tuh kuhl)
A tentacle is a long, slender feeler attached to the head or the mouth
of an animal. A jellyfish has tentacles, trireme [(try]{.smallcaps}
reem)
A trireme was an ancient warship. It had three rows of oars, one above
the other, on each side of the ship. It also had a mast with a large,
square sail. When a trireme went into battle, the sail and mast were
taken down and the ship was rowed.
universal ring dial
(yoo nuh [vur]{.smallcaps} suhl rihng [dy]{.smallcaps} uhl)
A universal ring dial was an ancient instrument much like a sundial. It
was used to find the time before there were accurate watches.
Illustration acknowledgments
The publishers of Childcraft gratefully acknowledge the courtesy of
the following photographers, agencies, and organizations for
illustrations in this volume. When all the illustrations for a sequence
of pages are from a single source, the inclusive page numbers are given.
In all other instances, the page numbers refer to facing pages, which
are considered as a single unit or spread. The words “(left),\”
\”(center),\” \”(top),\” \”(bottom),” and “(right)” indicate
position on the spread. All illustrations are the exclusive property of
the publishers of Childcraft unless names are marked with an asterisk
