Greta Green builds a submarine

Energetic rhymes describe a youth pursuing dreams of ocean exploration in this buoying story from Fliess and Cooper. During a beach cleanup, an idea hits brown-skinned Greta Green "like a wave": she'll make a submarine out of the gathered materials. Construction happens in a flash ("radar, cameras, captain's chair,/ rudders, periscope"), and the budding eco-explorer is soon "descending, slow and steady." When the submersible becomes stuck on a wrecked ship housing gold and rare artifacts, Greta donates the find in support of ocean conservation for an ending that's as fanciful as the rest of the story. With mottled coloring, action-packed animation-style scenes underscore the text's themes by presenting Greta with alternating expressions of awe and determination as she navigates an ocean teeming with aquatic creatures and found resources. Back matter includes notes about female pioneers of the sea. Ages up to 7. (Mar.)

Enthusiastic engineering steers a young environmentalist to a sea success. Greta loves to dive into the ocean--and into projects. While picking up trash along the shore with her sidekicks--a pompom-beanie--wearing parrot and a crab in a conch--she's inspired to build a one-person submarine from her recycling finds. Luckily, she has a huge brass-bound barrel to start with, and she's soon ready to "chase [her] dream" underwater, in an improbable but functional vessel. Descending beneath the waves, Greta is a responsible scientist, recording notes and taking photographs until the sonarless sub grounds on a wreck. While exploring the pirate-flagged ship, she discovers a heap of gold; she earmarks the funds for ocean conservation and vows to further pursue underwater exploration herself. She returns to a "Save the Ocean" celebration with a small crowd of shore supporters. Greta is so moved by her experience that she says, "It's difficult to find the words," but Fliess seems to have had no difficulty hitting upon the right ones, conveyed in rhythmical rhyming quatrains. Cooper's bright, saturated, and slightly stylized illustrations depict a brown-skinned, curly-haired, bespectacled youngster, both determined and joyful. The book's final pages introduce four real women who contributed meaningfully to oceanography and offers information on subs and shipwrecks. Sure to empower young scientists entranced by the sea.(Picture book. 3-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.