Discovering Titanic's Remains

Young Titanic fans will reach for these six volumes that cover almost every facet of the ship and its sinking. In Last Hours, for example, several diagrams and cutaways illuminate the various inner workings and levels of the boat and how exactly the iceberg damaged the vessel. Kids will learn of the ship’s construction, the passengers (many of whom were rich and famous), the fatal collision, and even related ghosts and mysterious hauntings. In all of the books, the language is clear, and there are ample brightly colored drawings and photographs to complement the text. VERDICT: A well-crafted presentation of a timeless topic. Expect a high demand from Titanic aficionados.

Searching for the remains of the Titanic in 1985, Robert Ballard and his crew watched their monitors while guiding underwater cameras along the ocean floor almost two-and-a-half miles beneath them. They spotted the ship’s enormous boilers first, then chairs, china, and clothing, and finally the hull itself. This highly visual book includes information about the sinking of the Titanic and the challenge of locating its remains. An appended section offers a closer look at the explorers’ specialized submersible equipment. Two informative paragraphs appear on each double-page spread, along with a text box and two or more captioned pictures. Drawn from many sources, the illustrations include many color photographs as well as paintings and digital drawings and diagrams. From the Titanica series (6 titles), this very readable volume presents a topic of perennial interest.