Although this is an enjoyable read the book is absolutely riddled with unacceptable mistakes. Carbon dioxide once dissolved in the sea forms the carbonate ion which combines with calcium (not carbonate) to form calcium carbonate (p.12). P.67- the cape of good hope is at the tip of AFrica not South AMerica. And lastly (I have only read to page 80!) the positive charge of the water molecule is on the hydrogen not oxygen (negative on oxygen), and the hydrogens in water don't bind to one another-like charges repel each other , not attract. The hydrogens (+) bind to the oxygens (-) to adjacent molecules!!!!!!!!!! Ugh!!!!!!!!

I have already written a review. I think I may have been sort of mean. Now that I have read the entire book I feel like I should write a new review. I did enjoy the book. The mistakes I refered to in my previous review did not continue throughout the book. I read it to my son at night and he enjoyed it. Overall it was a pretty decent read. So, I've changed my mind.

I bought about 5 books at the same time and this is the 3rd book that I have read. It is full of lots of information but I am finding it a little slow to read. Kind of text book reading. None the less full of useful information regarding the Ocean from the beginning of time! I think it is a good building block for someone like myself trying to delve into the Science of the Ocean.

I think this book is a great way to introduce oceanography, ecology, marine biology and so forth. Andrea does a great job of summing up what Sylvia experiences and aspires as she explores the depths of the oceans. This book is mainly geared towards children of ages 9-12. I agree with the age range being appropriate. It introduces wonderful terms too. Included are wonderful pictures of Sylvia's encounters undersea. Definitely will make you want to explore more. However, I had hoped that it would include some more biographical information about Sylvia Earle.

After hearing a discussion of this book on NPR, I ordered this book expecting a thorough atlas of the ocean floor. I was sorely disappointed. Although there are some good maps in this book, the bulk of the book deals with other topics such as: ecology or the need for protecting our oceans, current temperatures, predicting El Nino, etc. Don't get me wrong, it is a good book but it is far from what I expected. Full of pretty photographs and illustrations as usual for a National Geographic effort. I believe that the hype made me believe the book would have details associated with a land atlas.