Dad of Divas' Reviews: Book Review - Ocean Commotion: Caught in the Currents

Friday, October 5, 2012

Book Review - Ocean Commotion: Caught in the Currents

About the Book
In 1992 a thunderous storm threw a cargo container filled with bathtub toys overboard into the Pacific Ocean. While lightning flashed, the ship continued on into the night, leaving the container floating in the storm. As the waves calmed and the sun began to beam through the clouds, a single rubber duck popped to the surface. Before long, nearly 29,000 bathtub toys had escaped from their container, bobbing along the globe's waterways. Over the years, the toys washed up on beaches near and far-Alaska, Seattle, Fiji, Tonga, and Tahiti. Some of the toys journeyed through the Pacific Ocean, the Bering Sea, the Arctic Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. Based on a true event, this fictionalized account tells the story of the astonishing journey of little plastic bathtub toys as they made history. The toys are still popping up today and 17,000 miles away from the incident, helping scientists understand how the ocean currents are connected. Maps charting the toys' travel pattern are included in this book, along with a glossary and a summary of the highly publicized event.

About the Author
Author and artist Janeen Mason's colorful work has appeared in zoos and museums nationwide. She is the author and illustrator of Pelican's Gift of the Magpie, Ocean Commotion: Sea Turtles, and Ocean Commotion: Life on the Reef and illustrator of Pelican's Fish Facts; Kissimmee Pete and the Hurricane; Kissimmee Pete, Cracker Cow Hunter; The Pirate, Pink; Pirate Pink and Treasures of the Reef; and The World's Greatest Explorer. She is a passionate arts advocate in her home state and served as a member of the Florida Council on Arts and Culture as well as a member of Citizens for Florida Arts. Mason is a frequent speaker at schools across the country and is a popular guest on the PBS program NOVA science NOW. Her accolades include a Lifetime Achievement in the Arts Award, the U.S. Maritime Literature Award, the Benjamin Franklin Award, and the National Award for Excellence in Communities. Mason lives and works near the ocean that she loves in Stuart, Florida.

My Take on the Book
Janeen Mason has written a story based on a true event which occurred in 1992. In that year a ship carrying a container filled with bathtub toys encountered a storm and the container fell into the Pacific Ocean. The toys floated to the surface of the water and were carried by the ocean currents to many parts of the world: Alaska, Seattle, Fiji, Tonga, Tahiti, the Bering Sea, Atlantic Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean. Many people found the bathtub toys on the shore and in nets. Sixteen years after the original one was found , a few more were discovered. The path the toys took helped scientists to learn more about the ocean currents.

The journeys the bathtub toys took have been documented on a map in the back of the book.

This was a fascinating book . I think you will enjoy it too.

All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not influenced in any way by the company.  Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. Please refer to this site's Disclaimer  for more information. I have been compensated or given a product free of charge, but that does not impact my views or opinions.

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