What We're Reading: Tracy

The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau, by Dan Yaccarino.

Growing up in the 1970s, one of my favorite television programs was The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. I remember being captivated by the imagery he conveyed of strange sea creatures and otherworldly underwater landscapes. Equally captivating is this new children's biography of the oceanographic pioneer, written and illustrated by the uniquely talented Dan Yaccarino. The slight text is just right for readers "testing the waters" of biographies: interesting, comprehensive, but not overwhelming. The multi-layered illustrations, done in Yaccarino's distinctive "modern retro" style, perfectly complement the subject. "Quotation bubbles," colored circles containing quotes from Cousteau, rise up from each illustration spread, like the air bubbles that rise from diver's oxygen tanks. My favorite, "When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself," is a fitting epitaph for a man who shared his own extraordinary life and talents with the world.