Happy Book Birthday: GREAT CARRIER REEF Plus PB Critique Giveaway

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I’m always excited to sing Happy Birthday to new books! Especially new books like this one that are already Junior Library Guild GOLD Selections!

Written by Jessica Stremer – Illustrated by Gordy Wright – Published by Holiday House

WOW! Doesn’t that cover just invite you to pick up this book?

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon Sales Page where it is currently a #1 NEW RELEASE!!!
An outstanding STEM picture book documenting the transformation of an aircraft carrier that was gutted and turned into the world’s largest artificial reef.

What happens when something designed to be unsinkable gets bombed to the bottom of the ocean floor? With careful preparation, new life can take root!

This incredible story brings young readers along on the journey of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany—the Mighty O—as it gets stripped down to a steel shell for a new life below the waves. After 25 years of service, launching more aircraft than any other carrier of its time, the ship found a new mission as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida. The Mighty O was prepped and reefed by a team of more than 150 scientists, engineers, and technicians. Today, it is home to a flourishing variety of marine animals. 

Designed to encourage regrowth and protect vulnerable marine life, artificial reefs are a crucial tool in the fight against overfishing, pollution, and warming water temperatures. Extensive back matter reveals more about the Mighty O’s history, the diseases eating away at the world’s natural reef systems, and the role artificial reefs play under the sea, and budding marine biologists will love poring over the exquisite illustrations.

Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on.

I’ve gotten to know the author through #50PreciousWords – Jessica Stremer has been a participant several times – and one of her entries has recently been acquired – we’ll have a special post about that next year!

Here’s a little bit about Jessica:
Jessica Stremer is an award-winning children’s author who combines her love of science and writing to create books that inspire kids to explore and think critically about the world around them. Her titles include GREAT CARRIER REEF (a Junior Library Guild Gold Star Standard), LIGHTS OUT: A Movement to Help Migrating Birds, and FIRE ESCAPE: How Animals and Plants Survive Wildfires. Jessica obtained a B.S. in Biology, with an emphasis in Ecology, from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Jessica received honorable mention for the SCBWI 2021 Ann Whitford Paul award, took first place for her nonfiction entry in the 2021 Rate Your Story writing competition, and received honorable mention for her entries in the 2021, 2022, and 2023 50 Precious Words writing competition. When not writing, Jessica loves spending time outdoors with her family and rewilding her yard in Wisconsin. 
To connect with her and learn more about her books: https://www.jessicastremer.com/

Great books need a couple of things to become successful books…and these are all things that WE can do:
Buy copies of the book
Review the book on Goodreads and Amazon
Tell friends about the book (SHARE on your Social Media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

And to snag a chance to WIN the fabulous Nonfiction Picture Book Critique, please leave a comment (and make sure to tell us that you’d like to win it!) and then share this post so that more folks can discover GREAT CARRIER REEF!

Have a wonderful week, dear friends. If you are celebrating the 4th of July, I hope it’s a safe and happy one!

29 thoughts on “Happy Book Birthday: GREAT CARRIER REEF Plus PB Critique Giveaway”

  1. Happy book birthday!! Can’t wait to read this. I have been looking forward to it. Congrats!! I would love a NF picture book critique from you. 🙂 i

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  3. I have an environmental themed story walk at my school. This will definitely be a purchase (3 copies) for this year’s walk. My students and their families are sure to be fascinated by this story. Happy Book Birthday!

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  7. Ok this is incredible! I love that something huge and potentially wasteful can be turned into something useful. I need to read this one for sure! I’ll also make sure we bought it at my library. I’m always up for a NF critique. 🙂

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Hi Kimberly,
      Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting…just to clarify…a copy of the book isn’t a prize this time – it’s a Nonfiction Picture Book Critique from Jessica. 🙂

      Like

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  17. As a snorkeler who has snorkeled the Great Barrier Reef, I love the subject and the clever title! Is it too late to say I’d love a NF critique? Do you need to know anything about the NF story?

    Liked by 1 person

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