School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-In this excellent biography of scientist Marie Tharp, Burleigh, writing in the first person, allows this adept geologist and oceanographic cartographer to tell her own story. Map lover Tharp became one of the 20th century's most important scientists, despite working in a field that greatly favored men. With fellow geologist Bruce Heezen, she mapped the world's oceans. Colón's signature softly hued, textured watercolors greatly enhance the text. One image depicts a research ship in the water upon which scientists took measurements called soundings to chart the ocean's depth. The writing is accessible and immediate, and though Burleigh acknowledges that Tharp was a woman working in a man's field, he casts her story in a happy light. A biographical page is appended, as well as thorough back matter. VERDICT A finely told, beautifully illustrated biography that saves a world class scientist from obscurity.-Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Burleigh and Colón follow 2013's Look Up! with the story of another female scientist, Marie Tharp. Raised by a mapmaker, Tharp developed an early interest in exploring uncharted land; her passion eventually led her to the oceans. Burleigh gives readers an up-close view of Tharp's experiences and hunches through a first-person perspective: "Could the seafloor really be mapped? I thought so-and I wanted to give it a try!" Despite discrimination she faced as a woman, Tharp became an accomplished scientist, mapping the Atlantic using soundings and helping advance the theory of plate tectonics. Colón's warm watercolor-and-pencil art brings warmth and energy to the pages through his thatched and wavelike textures, while an afterword provides further detail about Tharp's undertaking. Ages 4-8. Illustrator's agency: Morgan Gaynin. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
The duo behind Look Up!: Henrietta Leavitt, Pioneering Woman Astronomer spotlights another groundbreaking woman scientist: Marie Tharp, the oceanographic cartographer whose mapping of the Atlantic seafloor yielded key evidence confirming the theory of continental drift. Tharp holds the narrative reins here, and her voice, as imagined by Burleigh, generally rings true. As an adolescent, she describes her passion for maps and imagines one speaking to her: Have an adventure. Explore. Discover something newa bold challenge for a young woman in the 1930s. Burleigh also touches on the discrimination Tharp faced. Applying for a position as a scientist, she is informed: We dont need any more file clerks. A sexist boss wont let her join ocean expeditions: Having a woman on a ship is bad luck. (No sources are provided for these quotes.) Burleighs writing is clear, conversational, and lyrical on occasion. He handles the science content well; its never too dry or overly technical. He also portrays scientists realistically, actively engaged in and arguing about their work. Colons illustrations, a textured wash of sea- and earth tones, are thoughtful and attractive and accurately reflect the time period. A final, memorable spread shows a contemporary girl looking over her shoulder at Tharp; its a subtle nod to Tharps importance as a role model, as well as to the importance of other women scientists, past, present, and future. Back matter includes further biographical details, a glossary of science vocabulary, a bibliography, websites (one with a slight error), and related activities. tanya d. auger (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Working in a time when women were still unwelcome in her field, Marie Tharp mapped the ocean floor and provided convincing evidence for the previously rejected hypothesis of continental drift. Burleigh's choice to write in Tharp's voice makes the determined geologist's story feel immediate, focusing tightly on her map that revealed the spreading Atlantic sea floor. He notes obstacles she overcame: a peripatetic childhood; gender discrimination; the superstition, still prevalent in 1948, that women were unlucky on ships; and disagreements about the drift theory even with her friend and colleague Bruce Heezen. There's a short description of Tharp's mapmaking process and a triumphant conclusion when the final, color version is published. But it's Coln's watercolor-and-pencil illustrations that bring her story alive. Readers see the map-loving child, ships taking the soundings that provided her data, the cartographer with pencil in hand, both graphing and drawing, and, in a wordless double-page spread, the exciting revelation of the rift in the middle of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The distinctive combed swirls of Coln's art masterfully suggest light on a seascape, and people are realistically depicted. Backmatter includes more of Tharp's story, useful vocabulary, bibliography and Internet links, and even "things to wonder about and do." An ideal introduction to a lesser-known scientist and an important understanding about how the Earth works. (Informational picture book. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Though her discoveries were pivotal to the theory of plate tectonics, geologist and cartographer Marie Tharp is still relatively unknown. In this picture-book biography, Burleigh presents Tharp's story in her own enthusiastic, imagined voice. Maps. I love them! she exclaims before describing her life and accomplishments. In a conversational tone, she discusses her curiosity, her struggles to be accepted in the boys'-club atmosphere of 1950s research labs, her dogged determination to work in science, her belief in her sea-floor-mapping project, and her satisfaction at seeing her beautiful map gracing the walls of schools and museums. Along the way, she explains depth soundings, cartographic concepts, and plate tectonics. Colón's soft colored-pencil illustrations are a wonderful match for ocean scenes and frequent maps, and a few helpful diagrams further illustrate concepts. Though the lengthy text makes this better suited to slightly older picture-book readers, the appealing art and informative glimpse into the life of a little-known scientist make it very worthwhile. Further reading and some provocative critical-thinking questions close out the volume.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist
