Sharks may provide us with thrills and chills, but there is serious work going on. A visit to an aquarium helps a young girl recognize the important jobs that sharks in the ocean.
Tumblehome Books, 2021
Volcano, Where Fire and Water Meet
Deep inside the earth, powerful forces are being unleashed that constantly reshape the landscape and impact the life within the ocean. Learn how volcanoes destroy and create, and how scientists know what is going on beneath our feet.
Capstone Press and Smithsonian Institution, 2021
Centered on the experiences of photographer and diver Jeff Rotman, this set offers exciting insight into the world of sharks. Information on diving, photography, and Rotman’s life are interwoven with plenty of facts about the animals he studies. Rotman’s high-quality photographs are varied, incorporating insets, full-page images, and two-page spreads. The diver’s accounts are woven into the narrative as he describes hitching a ride on a whale shark’s fin and other daring exploits. Useful statistics, diagrams, and fact boxes provide details to support the photographer’s first-hand experiences…all four books are fresh looks at an always popular subject. School Library Journal
Searching for Great White Sharks: A Shark Photographer’s Quest for Mr. Big Books
Capstone Young Readers, 2015
It takes a shark cage, a blood-and-fish “recipe,” patience, and courage to get up close to these powerful hunters. Discover what it’s like to meet a great white shark face-to-face.
Seeking Giant Sharks: A Shark Photographer’s Quest for Whale Sharks, Basking Sharks, and Manta Rays
Capstone Young Readers, 2015
What has 3,000 teeth and a five-foot-wide mouth? The whale shark, the “friendliest shark in the sea,” according to diver and photographer Jeff Rotman. Big is not necessarily scary, as Jeff proves in his encounters with school-bus-size whale sharks, timid basking sharks, and approachable manta rays.
Journey to Shark Island
Capstone Young Readers, 2015
Follow photographer Jeff Rotman into the shark-infested waters of Cocos Island to discover what draws so many different species of sharks to this isolated island in the Pacific Ocean.
Sharks of the Deep
Capstone Young Readers, 2015
Sharks don’t deserve the bad press they get, according to diver and photographer Jeff Rotman. Dive with him to the ocean floor to see the sharks he calls “living sculptures,” from stingrays to the bizarre wobbegong shark and other facilitating species.
Shark Expedition: A Shark Photographer’s Close Encounters
Capstone Young Readers, 2015
“Packed with information, photographs, and nonfiction features, this book will not disappoint! Information covers the basics of free diving versus scuba diving, basic and little known facts about sharks, rays, and other sea dwelling fish, as well as, information about protecting sharks and rays from illegal hunting, finning, and over-fishing. Will be adding this gem to my school library collection soon!
I also love that this book introduces young children to the idea of having a career as an underwater photographer! Who thinks about becoming an underwater photographer at the age of 8? Who knows, this book might just inspire someone to do just that!” – Goodreads
Tilbury House Publishers, 2017
***Starred review in School Library Journal: Cerullo contrasts the lives of fish in tropical waters with those of their relatives in colder ocean regions. Rotman’s outstanding photos illuminate the underwater world with close-up views of tiny reef dwellers and unusual cold-water inhabitants such as the goosefish. Design and layout reinforce the contrasts Cerullo identifies, making this a first-rate choice for browsers as well as students interested in ocean life.–Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Giant Squid: Searching for a Sea Monster, with Clyde F. E. Roper
Capstone Press and the Smithsonian Institution, 2012
“Giant Squid gets five stars for sure. Mary Cerullo’s account of the search for the giant squid reads like a detective novel, but it is the true story of Smithsonian Zoologist Dr. Clyde Roper’s decades-long quest to observe this mythical-sounding creature alive in its natural habitat.” — review on amazon.com
Shipwrecks: Exploring Sunken Cities under the Sea
Dutton Children’s Books, 2009
“Stunning images of undersea life including sunken ships, tropical fish, and marine exploration highlight this diverse work packed with information ranging from the discovery of the sunken slave ship Henrietta Marie to discussions of the wondrous array of sea life that makes its home within such wreckage.” – Booklist
Sea Secrets: Tiny Clues to a Big Mystery, with Beth E. Simmons
Moonlight Publishing, 2008
“This book provides an inquiry pathway for young children to make their own connections…My six-year-old granddaughter and I read the book together. Before we reached the final page she said, ‘It seems like everything in this and all of us are connected like a family.’ Amazing!”- NSTA Recommends
Tilbury House Publishers, 2019
“If there were a Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of the sea, it would be Mainers Mary Cerullo and Bill Curtsinger…Mary Cerullo is the master of writing extremely detailed, yet crystal clear text that brings detail of Curtsinger’s photographs to full life.” Curious City, Where kids and books meet
The Truth about Dangerous Sea Creatures,
Chronicle Books, 2003
“Without playing down their threatening features, Cerullo introduces a different sea dweller on each spread and examines both the myths and realities about it.” – School Library Journal
Dutton Children’s Books, 2003
“Spectacular close-up pictures showing a variety of sea turtles in the wild and an informative, spirited text combine for a dynamic photo-essay on these ancient, endangered animals…A first-rate choice.” – School Library Journal
Tilbury House Publishers, 2001
“The invisible world that underlies our living ocean, admirably elucidated.” – Smithsonian Notable Books for Children
Ocean Detectives: Solving the Mysteries of the Sea (and Teacher’s Guide), 2000, Boston:
Turnstone Publishing, Steck-Vaughn Company, 2000
“Cerullo offers fine scholarship throughout, the right amount of text—well-illustrated with photos—and a useful index and glossary. This is another example of the terrific factual literature being produced for today’s youth—and everyone else!” – Joan Carris, Children’s Literature
The Truth about Great White Sharks
Chronicle Books, 2000
“The attractive layout blends line drawings, full-color photographs, varied typefaces, and eye-catching graphics…This title will be accessible to reluctant readers and is a must for most collections.” – School Library Journal
Tilbury House Publishers, 1999
“This attractive book introduces children to an area of biology they may know little about: the world of phytoplankton, plants so tiny that a million can fit in a teaspoon of sea water and so numerous that they produce half the world’s oxygen.” – Booklist
Dolphins: What They Can Teach Us
Dutton Children’s Books, 1999
“An enchanting book about the latest research on dolphins, and how people benefit from the new information.” – Kirkus
“EHMAGOD, I LUUUUUUUVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!” – A kid’s review in amazon.com
Cobblehill Books, 1997
“With outstanding full-color photographs, this author/photographer team offers a reverent look at this changing, secretive, creature of the sea.” – School Library Journal
Reading the Environment: Children’s Literature in the Science Classroom
Heinemann, 1997
“This book should be within arm’s reach of every elementary teacher, librarian, and administrator, for it is a treasure chest filled with invaluable insights, references, and suggestions.” – Science and Children
Coral Reef: A City That Never Sleeps
Cobblehill Books, 1996
“As fascinatingly fact-filled as the text is, it’s even more outstanding because of Rotman’s spectacular, full-color photographs.” – School Library Journal
Lobsters: Gangsters of the Sea
Cobblehill Books, 1994
“With fine color pictures and an immediate, informative text, this lively photo-essay captures the behavior of lobsters and their relationship with the people who catch them.” –Booklist
Sharks: Challengers of the Deep
Cobblehill Books, 1993
“Dramatic, sometimes sensational photographs and a balanced, accessible text present both basic facts and tantalizing trivia about this animal that tops its food chain.” – School Library Journal
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