As a fan of Jacques Cousteau already, I found this book delightful. I like how it thoughtfully and chronologically gave us a look at the course of Cousteau's life and work. I like how it included how he had come to fall in love with the sea as a young boy. My absolute favorite part is the wonderful quotes from Cousteau himself that adorn each page. It goes into great detail about all the things Cousteau did in his life and was presented in a clear and simple way. Personally, I didn't think the illustration captured me or pulled me in and didn't add anything to the story, unfortunately, but that's just my opinion. However, I still think this story should be read to children for sure. ( )

Bluebonnet, nature, ocean

This book tells the life story of undersea explorer and inventor Jacques Cousteau.

The illustrations are simplistic, colorful, and some are only pencil drawings. A unique feature of this book are the bubbles throughout, that give quotes directly from Cousteau. This book would be beneficial towards instilling an inventor spirit in students, and could be followed by an activity where students design their own product. This book could also be used during a marine unit and would teach students to protect/respect the ocean. I feel students would be very interested in this biography because it displays the exploration of undersea life as well as all of the gadgets that can be used. ( )

The life story and accomplishments of undersea explorer Jacques Cousteau told through simple text and creative illustrations. ( )

There are two reasons that I like this book. First, the illustrations enhance the story. For example, a friend of Jacques Causteau “gave him a pair of goggles so that he could see underwater. Those goggles changed his life forever”. Under this text, there is a bright and colorful illustration of Jacques looking underwater with his goggles. Above the water, the background is a blank white space to show the dullness Jacques sees the outside world as. Where Jacques has his head under the water, his body turns to a bright shade of yellow to express his happiness and the environment around him is full of life and colors. This illustration shows how being able to see under the water has positively changed his life. Second, the point of view is written in third person. This makes the book into a story which makes it more interesting and easy to read. Having Jacques’s journey be told through a story makes it more meaningful. The message of the story is to share Jacques’s life and accomplishments with readers. The story discusses how Jacques became so interested with water and how this interest lead to many discoveries and inventions. ( )