Regin of the Sea Dragons

All hail Jerome, King of the Sea Dragons!

Collard, Sneed B. and Plant, Andrew. Reign of the Sea Dragons. Watertown, MA : Charlesbridge, 2008.

Plot: While dinosaurs claimed nearly every ecological niche on land, a variety of sea monsters ruled over the water. The text reviews the extinct marine reptiles claiming the apex predator role in pre-history. Such creatures include the dolphin-like ichtyosaurs, elegant elasmosaurs, and monstrous mosasaurs. Hand-drawn illustrations allow readers to envision the giant reptiles, while the text describes the creatures as well as the history of their discovery.

Genre: Animals, History, Science

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Sea Monsters, Ichtyosaurs, Ocean Monsters

Personal Thoughts: I have read a number of titles about prehistoric animals (surprising, I know), but this one stood out for several reasons. It avoided most of the more sensational images found in most titles (only one predator is shown with a gaping mouth facing the reader, for example). Also, it noted the controversy surrounding ancient reptiles, such as the flexibility of elasmosaur necks and body temperature of icthyosaurs. Additionally, it used hand-drawn images instead of computer-generated ones. Neither is necessarily superior to the other, but the contrast was pleasant. As such, I recommend the title to fans of prehistory.

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster

 I couldn't get a picture for this entry, so please use your imagination to merge these two images

Hopkinson, Deborah. Titanic: Voices from the Disaster. New York : Scholastic Press, 2012.

Plot: Everyone knows about the disastrous voyage of the RMS Titanic, but the actual people involved with the event are often romanticized, idealized, mocked, or ignored. The text attempts to amend past misinformation by focusing on the people involved with the ship's design, creation, utility, and demise. Images from the ship's first voyage and surviving relics add context to the story. To further the human aspect of the story, the text also offers a short list of the "main characters" and their post-Titanic lives. The title includes a bibliography of additional resources and links to interviews from some of the survivors.

Genre: History

Reading Level: Grades 4-9

Similar Titles: Titanic, National Geographic Kids: Titanic

Personal Thoughts: I already knew the ending.

All questionable attempts a humor aside, the book provided an enjoyable and enlightening read. Like many students, I learned about the Titanic in middle school. However, most of the texts I read focused on the folly of the ship's design and foolishness of her passengers. This book focused on the people as people, instead of object lessons. Also, it reminds readers that life continued, often with difficulty, after the ship sank. Many lost all they had in the disaster, while a few gained a degree of fame and fortune through their survival. Many managed to live for years after the disaster, while some died of health complications caused by the wreck shortly after their rescue. The texts presents the Titanic as a real, human story, instead of a warning against arrogance.