Oceanology: The True Account of the Voyage of the Nautilus

Ologies #8

by Emily Hawkins, A.J. Wood, Ian Andrew (Illustrator)

Follow the fascinating journey of Captain Nemo and explore the ocean’s wonders, both real and imagined ... or are they?

What if a sixteen-year-old assistant traveled aboard the storied Nautilus, the narwhal-shaped submarine of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? And what if he were the sole survivor of the ill-fated voyage and went on to relay his adventures to a certain . . . Jules Verne? Find this brave young man’s own account in the lavishly illustrated Oceanology, a tale of an 866 voyage of discovery that investigates diving bells and shipwrecks; coral reefs and ice canyons; sharks, giant octopi, and luminous sea monsters; underwater volcanoes, and even the legendary island of Atlantis.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Picture Books, Adventure, Middle Grade, Historical Fiction

30 pages, Hardcover

First published August 25, 2009

About the author

Once a children’s book editor, Emily Hawkins is now a full-time author. Her work has been featured on the New York Times bestseller list (Oceanology, 2009) as well as winning the Children’s Travel Book of the Year Award (Atlas of Animal Adventures, 2016). Along with her background in children’s non-fiction Emily has a strong interest in myth, folklore and storytelling. In 2020 she wrote A Natural History of Fairies, which has been translated into twelve languages, selling more than 100,000 copies worldwide. Emily holds a first-class English degree from Nottingham University, and lives in Winchester, UK.

You can find her on Instagram @emilyhawkinsbooks.

Reviews

[Silvana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had this excellent book when I first read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Beautiful illustrations, interactive pop-up pages (it even has a dice game). But what surprises me the most is the wealth of information about sea and marine life in it. I bought this on a whim and it might be my best haul so far this year.

[ashes ➷ · Rating 5 out of 5]

So cute, and my teenage brother picked this up for a couple of minutes before asking me whether it was actually real, so mission accomplished! I didn't expect to be as enthralled in something about... oceans? in a series so consistently about magical things, but the science fiction touch of basing it off 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was adorable and allowed for a lot of respect towards Verne for his predictions of future tech! Not to mention the way my jaw actually dropped when this normal-seeming book contained an entire functional DIE inside. -ologies series stays winning...

(Recommend if you have not read it. The sheer joy of an -ologies book is unparalleled.)

[Barbi Faye (The Book Fae) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What if a sixteen-year-old assistant traveled aboard the storied Nautilus, the narwhal-shaped submarine of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea? And what if he were the sole survivor of the ill-fated voyage and went on to relay his adventures to a certain Jules Verne? Find this brave young man’s own account in the lavishly illustrated Oceanology, a tale of a voyage of discovery that investigates diving bells and shipwrecks; coral reefs and ice canyons; sharks, giant octopi, and luminous sea monsters; underwater volcanoes, and even the legendary island of Atlantis." Book Review

[Isa (Pages Full of Stars) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it much better then Wizardology which I read a couple of months ago. It read like an adventure story but the author included a lot of details about oceans and their fauna and flora. The overall layout was once again gorgeous, and I had fun searching for all hidden clues and surprises :)

[Scottsdale Public Library]

This book is purportedly the journal of Zoticus de Lesseps, a sixteen-year-old assistant aboard Captain Nemo’s Nautilus during a voyage in 1863, and it’s a fascinating look at the wonders of the deep. As well as being beautiful to look at and explore, it is also packed with information. The publisher notes: “Because new advancements have been made in ocean exploration and science since this volume was written, explanatory notes have been added by the publisher throughout this facsimile for the benefit of today’s readers.” It is one in the “ology” series of books, meaning it’s highly interactive, lavishly illustrated, and comes complete with booklets, secret flaps, notes and letters. There is always something new to discover in here, and I can vouch that it will appeal to adults and kids alike! – Jess O.

[Grace Vollmert · Rating 3 out of 5]

let me in the ocean

[Laura Bone]

Another good "Ology" installment. I really enjoy reading these whimsical and informative books.

[Lalani · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun presentation of ocean facts and fiction.

[Emesskay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Ology" series of books is such a fun series. To those not familiar with them, they are facsimile scrapbooks, and besides information about the subject they are covering include various flaps and envelopes with letters and other things pasted in.

Oceanology purports to be a journal of an assistant who traveled on the Nautilus (yes, that Nautilus, from 20,000 leagues under the sea) documenting what they saw/discovered. This is a fun read at any time, but if you have seen the movie, it is even better. One of the items in the scrapbook is a cut away view of the Nautilus (which personally helped me better understand the layout of the sub in the movie).

There is some educational content squeezed in with the fiction. A good way to learn about the ocean without feeling like you are learning.

[Haley Kilgour · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really fun about oceanography. There was also tidbits about marine biology, ecology, oceanography, and geology. I see this as being a fun way for kids to learn about the ocean that is interactive.

The 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea basis is great, but it might lose some people if they haven’t read the book.

I personally found the text size to be a bit small. And I kept wanting to say anthrax rather than Aronax.

While I know this book was published in 2009 there’s is a glaring issue, most of the book is in script, or cursive. Given that that isn’t taught in schools anymore, most children in this day and age will not be able to read it.

[Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting. Very good looking book and I love books with envelopes and flip over pages like this. We sell this book where I work and I was always under the impression that it was for children, which I'd say it is but for older children as it is full of useful science terminology. Some of the font was really hard to read so that was a negative but otherwise I enjoyed this book and would recommend to readers aged 9+ who like science, mystery and the ocean.

[Jenks · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent series. These books have caused bickering in the family fighting over which copies belong to who because they are so good. The layout of the book is brilliant the notes the images etc are so intriguing for children and teaches them whilst being enjoyable !

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is so beautiful and full of interesting details and side stories. I bought it to read with my kids and the only reason I didn't give it a fifth star is because it's in cursive and my eight- year- old boys can't read it on their own. The story is so fantastic!

[Zayd Tarjuman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have ever got in my life. It’s just so cool to have all those little booklets and games stamped in to each page. I wish I could rate this 100/100. I fell in love with this book the moment it entered my life. I would recommend this book to everyone.

[Indah Threez Lestari · Rating 4 out of 5]

121 - 2018

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books like this! It was so fun and exciting! Although it isn’t exactly for my age range (lol), I still loved it and am desperate to get the others ones such as dragonology and Egyptology ☺️

[Patty Wilkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the -ology books are just pure genious

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun take on the Twenty Thousand Leagues under the sea book.

[Sharvari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome illustrations

[Lav ✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this and octonauts really got me into marine biology n shit

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm obsessed with this book

[Emily Mcleod · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable and a great visual companion for the Jules Verne novel 20 thousand leagues under the sea. It’s going to make a great gift for my little friends birthday :)

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love how this was put together. Learned a few things and plan to read more in series

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are so much fun.

[Tapani Aulu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tämähän yllätti! Tosi hieno pseudotieteellinen kirja Nemosta ja Nautiluksesta. Ei varmasti ihan yhtä hyvä, jos ei ole lukenut verneä.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

You’ve got to love the ‘ology books! This one was heavily reliant on Verne’s 20,000 Leagues, but the format is so appealing. Even to this grown up kid…

[Meri Monfort · Rating 3 out of 5]

sempre ha sigut increiblement bonic

[Margaret Metz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun book! I saw this while browsing at a Cracker Barrel and had to have it. This book was like a ticket to time travel back to when my boys were young. My youngest son's fiancée was visiting and I think I was spending a lot of time thinking about how much time has passed.

It is filled with flaps, maps, schematics, "samples" of sea life, and so much more. There are pockets to investigate and tons of surprises. What a fun tie-in to a classic novel.

[Annika Vesteri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Todella upea visuaalinen kirja kurkkausluukkuineen! Huikean mielenkiintoinen kirja tutkia! Mukavia pikku tarinanpätkiä, kuitenkin tarina etenee mukavasti ja loogisesti. Kirjaa on harmillisen huonosti saatavilla kirjastossa, joten vinkattavaksi sopii niin, että esim. opettajan kanssa yhdessä lukevat kirjaa koululuokassa. Jännän aiheen ja hieman vaikeasti luettavan fontin vuoksi sopii vinkattavaksi noin 3-6 luokkalaisille.

[April Helms · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the "Ology" books! This is one of the newest in the series, a birthday gift (THANK YOU, KIT!). Oceanology takes its readers to the depths of the oceans aboard the Nautilus. There's a neat diagram of the fabled sub, maps of the journey, notes, asides, information on ocean life and more. Love the nods to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.