FLYING DEEP: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible ALVIN by Michelle Cusolito & Nicole Wong

There are so many great non-fiction picture books coming out and I wanted to share another one.  I’ve always been intrigued by ALVIN and the idea of diving into the deep sea! So interesting and fun to read about.

Summary from the publisher:

Climb aboard Alvin, the famous deep-sea submersible credited with helping to find the Titanic, and take a trip two miles down to the bottom of the ocean.

Experience a day in the life of an Alvin pilot and join scientists at the seafloor to collect samples and conduct research. Along the way, discover what one wears, eats, and talks about during a typical eight-hour trip in a underwater craft and find out more about the animals that live deep in our oceans. Extensive back matter explains how Alvin works, describes the author’s research, and includes a glossary and further reading..

Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible ALVIN, written by Michelle Cusolito and illustrated by Nicole Wong, was published in 2018 by Charlesbridge.

Why you want to read this book…

This book starts with a mission to explore the deep sea. From there, the rhythm of the language is almost like waves as the experience of being inside ALVIN unfolds. Beautiful, soft illustrations compliment the sensory details of the ALVIN trip, making the whole book an undersea experience.

Opening:   

Imagine you’re the pilot of Alvin, a deep-sea submersible barely big enough for three.

My Thoughts as a Writer:

A great mentor text if you’re writing non-fiction. I especially liked the way the story is told as though the reader is going along on the mission. You might also want to study this book to see how to weave in factual and sensory details using poetic language, such as “cottony fields of bacteria” and “whirring thrusters churn.”

My Thoughts as an Educator:

I loved the way the text is sprinkled with questions that invite the reader to share their own ideas and thoughts. It was interesting that time stamps were included to give a clear picture of how long the journey took. This would make a great read aloud, especially if time is given for students to observe and discuss the details in the illustrations. At the end of the book, there are interesting notes from the author and the illustrator about the process of researching information for the book, as well as glossary and cool facts about a few of the organisms that live down deep.

Ages: 5 - 9

Grades: 1 – 4

Themes: ocean research, ALVIN, deep sea

Activities:

Question:  Did anything surprise you about the ALVIN? Deep sea life? Write one question the book doesn’t answer.

Imagine and Draw: Imagine you’re a deep see architect or engineer. What could you build for scientists or people to use underwater? What would it look like? How would it work? Draw and write about your structure.

Research: Which organism from the book would you like to learn more about? Do some research and make a mini-poster to display what you found out.

Learning from Picture Books – I Am Josephine (And I Am a Living Thing)

I've never seen a picture book that talks about this idea of classification before. A simple but unique story.

Summary from the Publisher:

Meet Josephine: a spirited and curious girl, a big sister, and a human being. She’s also a mammal, an animal, and a living thing—all identities she explores with readers in this simple informational picture book.

Josephine presents her family (and herself) as examples of human beings, and then familiar creatures like her dog and her mom (and herself) as mammals. Next, she adds whales, lobsters, hummingbirds, and elephants (and herself) as examples of animals. Finally, she shares examples of living things, including moose, foxes, butterflies, flowers, and bugs… and, of course, herself!

Inspired by science and nature writer Jan Thornhill’s many classroom visits, this book is intended to help children recognize themselves as part of the natural world, with an emphasis on how all living things share similarities.

Playful, kid-friendly illustrations in vibrant colors paired with minimal text make this an easy introduction to the classification of living things. Endmatter goes into further detail about the unique characteristics of humans, mammals, animals, and living things.

I am Josephine (and I am a living thing), was written by Jan Thornhill and illustrated by Jacqui Lee, was published in 2016 by OwlKids.

Opening:

“I am Josephine. I am Josephine, and I am a human being.”

My Thoughts as a Writer:

I really loved the concept of this book, and the simple kid-friendly text and illustrations. The repetitive style creates a rhythm and expectation for the reader. I also liked the places where readers are invited to find or count examples of each concept.

The illustrations are cartoon-like and fun, but also make it easy to identify each animal or being.

My Thoughts as a Teacher:

I haven’t seen a book that explains these categories to young children before and I really love it. I think it could provoke a lot of discussion. What is a living thing? I liked the lists at the end to explain the concepts.

Ages: 3 - 7

Grades: K - 2

Themes: living things, mammals, classification of animals

Activities:

Provide pictures of different kinds of living things for children and have them decide which group(s) they belong to.

Draw a picture of yourself and write your answer to the question on the last page of the book: What makes you different from other human beings?

Think about how you fit into other groups (e.g., immediate family group, relative group, friend group, class group, school group ) etc. and write an “I am ______ story of your own.