About this item
Filled with gorgeous illustrations by acclaimed artist Ral Coln, this illustrated biography shares the story of female scientist, Marie Tharp, a pioneering woman scientist and the first person to ever successfully map the ocean floor.Marie Tharp was always fascinated by the ocean. Taught to think big by her father who was a mapmaker, Marie wanted to do something no one had ever done before: map the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. Was it even possible Not sure if she would succeed, Marie decided to give it a try. Throughout history, others had tried and failed to measure the depths of the oceans. Sailors lowered weighted ropes to take measurements. Even today, scientists are trying to measure the depth by using echo sounder machines to track how long it would take a sound wave sent from a ship to the sea floor to come back. But for Marie, it was like piecing together an immense jigsaw puzzle. Despite past failures and challenges - sometimes Marie would be turned away from a ship because having a woman on board was "bad luck" - Marie was determined to succeed. And she did, becoming the first person to chart the ocean floor, helping us better understand the planet we call home. Award-winning author Robert Burleigh tells her story of imagination and perseverance. Beautifully illustrated by Ral Coln, Look Up! is a book that will inspire readers to follow their dreams.
About the Author
Over the past 35 years, I have published poems, reviews, essays, many filmstrips and videos, and more than 40 children's picture books.
Born and raised in Chicago, I graduated from DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana) and later received an MA in humanities from the University of Chicago. I've published books for children since the early 1990s. My books - including numerous unpublished ones! - run a broad gamut, from stories geared for pre-schoolers to survival stories and biographies aimed at seven to eleven-year-olds. My work is wide-ranging because, basically, I'm a generalist by experience - and inclination!
In addition to writing, I paint regularly under the art name Burleigh Kronquist and have shown work in one-person and group shows in Chicago, New York, and elsewhere around the country.
