This is a well-written and illustrated biography of Marie Tharp, the scientist who mapped the ocean floor. It emphasizes her persistence, intelligence, and interest in science, even in the face of unfair treatment of women in scientific endeavors. Tharp’s scientific ability shines through, as does her curiosity about the natural world. Informative back matter provides further interesting information. Combine with Robert Burleigh’s SOLVING THE PUZZLE UNDER THE SEA: MARIE THARP MAPS THE OCEAN FLOOR for an interesting comparison.

I'm a big fan of any book that brings a previously unmentioned/unknown female scientist to the forefront, so I really loved this one. I really liked learning about Marie Tharp and her contribution to the scientific community, plus the illustrations were adorable.

Stunning, unique illustrations and wonderful story about scientist, Marie Tharp. Educational and inspirational, this would be a great book for budding scientists age 5 and up.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

For so long women have been footnotes in history, quietly being brilliant in the background while men take credit for all of their incredible work. There has been a movement in kid lit, authors finding the stories of the women behind some of the world’s greatest discoveries and giving us the most wonderful books to help understand the contributions of all people to history.

Ocean Speaks by Jess Keating and Katie Hickey tells young readers the story of Marie Tharp, the woman who mapped the ocean and discovered the mountain ranges that make up the ocean floor. Given the time in history, during the Second World War, Marie was fortunate to become a scientist, a geologist; however her contributions were confined to a small office instead of out in the field. Incredibly, using depth measurements sent back from the field, she created the first map of the ocean floor, discovering the mid-Atlantic ridge, the highest mountain range in the world.

Jess Keating always brings us the stories of incredible female scientists with an elegance that is so engaging and thought provoking. Her’s are not dry tales of scientists from long ago, they are incredible stories that take the reader on an adventure with these trailblazing women. The reader becomes an explorer and zoologist along with the incredible real scientists in the story.

The illustrations by Katie Hickey are as sparkling as the ocean on a bright sunny day. The depth of blues and greens punctuated with yellows and browns engage the reader and provide so much visual appeal to Jess Keating’s inspiring words

Keating's clear prose is well paired with Hickey's lush illustrations in this illustrated biography of Marie Thorpe, the first woman to map mountains beneath the ocean's surface. Highly recommend for juvenile biography collections and look forward to using this in our K-5 elementary school for many Women's History Month lessons to come!

Beautifully illustrated biography of brilliant scientist Marie Tharp, written in a very clear way, perfect for younger readers. At the end of the book, there two pages of interesting information about Maria and oceanic cartography. This is a wonderful teaching tool as well as telling more about a lesser known scientist.

This was a fabulous read about Mary Tharp who had to fight to have her hard work believed and accepted. The illustrations are wondrous and the story is well written to keep little ones interested. Jess Keating's other book, Shark Lady, is also great.