Review by Booklist Review
This intriguing book offers a chronological account of giant squids, beginning with sailors' tales about krakens and leading up to the groundbreaking discoveries of the past few decades. Following the dramatic prologue, in which readers are asked to imagine themselves centuries ago on a sailing ship attacked by a sea monster with many-clawed tentacles, the book incorporates legend, history, popular culture, and science into a sometimes fascinating story. Newquist, who also wrote The Great Brain Book (2004), clearly describes the challenges faced by scientists in recent years, searching for elusive giant squids in the ocean depths and, later, studying their bodies in the lab. The many illustrations, in color when available, include photos, engravings, and maps. Although there are no source notes, the acknowledgments section references several scientists who provided information. Readers motivated to learn more about giant squids are referred to two adult books and five Internet sites. An attractive, informative book on an underrepresented topic.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-Sailors' tales of sea monsters fueled speculation about kraken long before giant squid carcasses washed ashore in the 19th century. Illustrations range from 16th-century maps to 20th-century movie posters, accompanying summaries of legends and excerpts from poems and stories. Photos by modern scientists elucidate current research about the elusive animal. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Sailors had often reported encounters with enormous squidlike sea monsters, but while these seemingly fanciful tales captured the popular imagination (occurring in Moby-Dick and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea), they were never taken very seriously by scientists, at least not until the 1860s brought a rash of sightings and beachings. In succeeding years, the scientific exploration of the giant squid (and the discovery of its larger cousin, the colossal squid) was hampered by a lack of evidence, especially with the decline of whaling (squid parts have often been found inside sperm whales). Another wave of encounters would not happen until the 1960s, and scientists had to content themselves in the meantime with the rare specimen that washed ashore. Photographs and video of live squid have enhanced our understanding in recent years, but we still know more about the surface of the moon than we do about these mysterious creatures lurking a mile deep under the ocean. The concise text, complemented by illustrations, photographs, and maps, smoothly segues between history and science, and could almost pass for a Scientists in the Field entry but for the cover and title, which rightfully play to the monster audience. A brief bibliography, relevant websites, and an index are appended. jonathan hunt (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In an engaging, fast-paced text, Newquist chronicles how centuries-old myths about a sea monster known as the kraken transformed into the modern study of Architeuthis dux, the giant squid. Until the 1870s, when dozens of giant squid were sighted and more mysteriously washed up dead on coasts around the world, scientific knowledge of the creature was fragmentary, and speculations about it were based more on fiction than facts. Even now, despite enormous advances in underwater exploration technology, the creature remains shrouded in mystery. A live squid was not observed until 2004, by Japanese scientists. The author does a commendable job of packing a great deal of information into a compact narrative. He seamlessly moves among exploration of history, mythology, film, literature and scientific discovery; the discussions of how everyone from Alfred, Lord Tennyson to Jules Verne to Walt Disney kept the myth of the ferocious kraken alive in people's imaginations are especially interesting. The book is abundantly illustrated with charts, maps and photographs. (bibliography, suggestions for further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 9 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
