Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea; Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor
by Robert Burleigh (author) Raúl Colón (illustrator)
Simon & Schuster (2016)
picture book biography grades
Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea is a book for anyone interested in maps and map-making. It tells the story of Marie Tharp who,as a girl, loved maps. She accompanied her mapmaker father as he worked.
Her father taught her to think big and when she grew up she wanted to do something no one had ever done before – map the ocean floor. Marie began her career at a time when women were not welcome on ships because they were considered “bad luck.” But she was determined and persistent. She took a job at a lab and did every little task assigned. She became friends with a colleague who sent her sounding data from research ships. Over the course of twenty years, Marie was able to plot Atlantic Ocean trenches and mountains. She used the information to not only map the ocean floor, but to prove and explain the theory of plate tectonics.
This amazing biography is not only fascinating to read but is a visual treat thanks to artist Raúl Colón’s stunning illustrations.
This is the World Ocean Floor Panorama mapped by Marie Tharp:
If you are interested in learning more about Marie Tharp you will enjoy this recording on the Takeaway about The Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor.
The legacy of Marie Tharp lives on. Here is a photo of my niece, Lily Muir, on her maiden voyage from Rhode Island to the Gulf Stream as an ocean engineer.
Just for fun, check out this pop-up book:
Undersea Treasures
by Emory Kristof (Author) and Peter Fiore (illustrator)
paper engineering by Tor Lokvig.
Published by National Geographic Society.
Who isn’t interested in stories about treasures lost at sea? Turn the pages of this clever book to see 3D paper models of famous shipwrecks, treasure, and maps showing their underwater locations.
Thanks for stopping by on today’s A to Z April Blog Challenge post featuring the letter U.
hi Claire Annette – that map book looks to be amazing and I will definitely get to read it – and lovely to see your niece ready to go with her life … congratulations – cheers Hilary
I had forgotten about Mary Tharp. These books are treasures. As a child, another book I used to read was 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne.
Another gift of these books I had no idea about. Thank you.