The Atlas of Shipwrecks by Jo Arnold

I'm always on the lookout for original and exciting nonfiction in the kidlit realm, and today's read appears to be a treat. This book is all about shipwrecks. I, honestly, don't think I can even recall seeing a book on this topic floating around, not even at the libraries as a kid. But just seeing this read already has my head spinning in a whirlwind of possibilities. Is it historical only? Is it about treasure hunting, too? Does it show where wrecks happened or tell of myth and lore as well? I could see this one being amazing...or flopping into mediocre. 

Either way, grab that wetsuit and oxygen tank because we're going to see what lies under the surface of the sea.

THE ATLAS OF SHIPWRECKS

by Jo Arnold

Illustrated by Philip Harris

Wide Eyed Editions

Middle Grade Nonfiction

80 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING MAY 5th!!!

Why do ships sink? What happens to them when they do? And how are their wrecks located?

Join (the fictional) Dr Profundo and chart a course across the world’s oceans, seas, and lakes, revealing the mystery surrounding more than 50 of the three million wrecks that lie under Earth’s waters.

A comprehensive and engaging insight into the underwater world of shipwrecks, told in compelling narrative non-fiction style by a well trusted voice in children's books. Each spread has full bleed illustration and is annotated by the fictional explorer in charming narrative non-fiction style. Some spreads are dedicated to single wrecks and others taking in two/three/four (or more, for examples like the fleet of Kubla Khan, The Spanish Armada, Chuuk lagoon and the Tangalooma wrecks, where many wrecks are concentrated in a small area). See examples of ships in their heyday as well as in their underwater resting place, close-up detail of specific artefacts or points of interest, and information split into digestible chunks, rather than heavy slabs of text, with a combination of prose, ‘In numbers’ lists and ‘Did you know?’ bubbles.

GOODREADS    /     PUBLISHER

MY TIDBITS

With a deep dive into the realm of shipwrecks, these pages masterfully swirl through facts to grow knowledge, create awe, and inspire.

I'm going to start with the illustrations because this aspect defines this read as much as the text. These are wonderfully done, bringing a swirl of adventure and excitement to the historical goodness. Plus, they stick to blue hues, which gives a constant atmosphere of water and the ocean. The artistic side balances with photographs, sketches, and other real images to create an inviting look into each ship's story. And these stories are interesting.

There are fifty shipwrecks presented in this book. Most gain an entire two-page spread, which is filled with images and various types of text. Some ships are presented through an array of boxed themes, each highlighting an interesting tidbit from that ship's history. Other ships receive a mini-graphic novel type of history, which makes the adventure that ship faced come across with tension and excitement. Then, there are ships, which are laid out across the entire page spread with tags pointing to the various aspects of the it, which made it original. The information never comes across as boring and makes each ship original.

There's a timeline at the end of the book so readers can visualize the timeframe each ship met its demise. Plus, readers learn throughout the read more about the difficulties presented when working with these wrecks. It is a read to pick up time and again, and lets readers discover a little more each time.

And here she is...

Jo Arnold is a writer based on the Isles of Scilly in the UK. She has 42k followers on her Instagram page, @thelittleliterarysociety. She has a degree in English from Queen Mary, University of London. She is a Secondary School English teacher and book reviewer.