Stickmen's Guide to Oceans in Layers (Stickmen's Guides to This Incredible Earth)

Catherine Chambers was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and brought up in England. She has written about 130 titles for children and young adults, and enjoys seeking out intriguing facts for her nonfiction titles.

John Paul de Quay has a BS in biology from the University of Sussex, UK, and a graduate certificate in animation from the University of the West of England. He lives in the UK.

Venitia Dean is a freelance illustrator who grew up in Brighton, UK. She has always loved drawing, ever since she could hold a pencil! As a teenager, she discovered a passion for figurative illustration, and then when she turned nineteen she was given a digital drawing tablet for her birthday and started transferring her work to the computer. She hasn't looked back since! As well as illustration, Venitia loves reading graphic novels and walking her dog, Peanut.

"Chock-full of information, these guides will intrigue browsers. The organizational layer-by-layer strategy works well for the most part. From the sunlight zone to ocean trenches, readers learn about plants and animals as well as the methods and tools scientists use to study each subject. Atmosphere considers satellites, weather forecasting, ozone depletion, and more, from exosphere to troposphere. Mountains and Valleys loses some focus by including topics as varied as plains, tectonic plates, and the earth's core. Stick figures appear on most spreads among the detailed drawings and diagrams. Many unfamiliar terms are defined in the text rather than in the brief glossary. Lack of source documentation means that readers will need help locating additional resources on specific topics. VERDICT: Good starting points for curious browsers, who will pore over the pages and may be motivated to seek more in-depth information elsewhere."―School Library Journal, Series Made Simple