The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau is a fascinating book about a man and his love for the ocean. Jacques was obsessed with the ocean as a child and was always in the water. As he grew, so did his love for the sea. His underwater passion led to many discoveries of ocean life. He invented the Aqua Lung, created lights to illuminate the sea and found ways to film underwater. He also bought a boat dedicated to ocean research and film, with which he was able to share his ocean discoveries with the world for the first time. Cousteau team invented the diving saucer, and the Sea Flea which helped discover deeper into the ocean. Jacques' passion for the ocean pushed him to discover places and creatures unknown to man. He shared the show more ocean's beauty with the world so that everyone could love and cherish it too. I enjoyed this book because I was fascinated by the colorful pages and by the passion Cousteau had to overcome his leg disability and explore the ocean. show less

An engaging picture-book biography of the famous French scientist, inventor, explorer, and pioneering underwater film-maker, Dan Yaccarino's The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau has the kind of bold cover-art that will immediately draw the young reader in. With black and white panels, a stylishly elongated Cousteau, and a title in colorful type, the cover mirrors the excitement within, as Cousteau's eventful life - his many discoveries, inventions and honors - is set out in a simple, straightforward text, and paired with brief quotations from the great man himself.

I enjoyed this title - which I have seen compared to another picture-book examination of Cousteau's life, Jennifer Berne's Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau - show more and highly recommend it to young readers who appreciate biography, or who are interested in underwater exploration and marine biology. The artwork, as already mentioned, is attention-grabbing - colorful, energetic, and full of fun - and an informative afterword provides further details about Cousteau's life and achievements. show less

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.

I know that this book competes directly with Manfish, but I'd say that there is room for both and that one can feed off of the other. This is good biography full of anecdotal information and fun facts. I'd love to know more about the underwater living modules that they tested. It sounds so futuristic and yet this book is the first place that I've read anything about it. Jacques Cousteau is such a cool guy. I find it hard to believe that anyone wouldn't be fascinated by a person like him.

This is a wonderful look at the life of the famous French sea explored Jacques Cousteau. From the time he was young he enjoyed exploring the eas and what he found there. As a young child, he was badly harmed in a car accident. The prognosis was bleak as he was told he would have to wear braces for his arm for his entire life.

Refusing to accept this, he swam in the Mediterranean every day. When a friend gave him a pair of goggles which enabled him to look undersea, his entire life was changed. From then on, he longed to see the mysteries of the quiet under sea.

Increasingly he developed items that would allow him to stay undersea for longer periods of time. Exploring the Antarctia was exciting for its penguins, squid and whales.

He show more discovered that people could not live under water and that we needed sunlight. As the book notes, he became the ambassador for undersea exploration. Hosting his own tv show opened the world below the sea to all those who watched his adventures.

As Cousteau and his team increasingly expanded with explorations, they shared what they learned with all who also became enchanted with life undersea. When he noted undersea pollution, he was one of the first to advocate for the necessity of taking care of our planet.

He was an incredible man with wonderful ideas put to use that opened the entire world to undersea exploration. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Great artwork. Simple and graphic in nature with a French flavor. Great book for kids to learn more about the pioneer of underwater discovery. Also teaches kids about the rewards of persistence and determination in the face of adversity. I especially liked the ways in which he built/invented the tools he required to pursue his passions.