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Ocean Liners: Crossing and Cruising the Seven Seas

Author: Karl Zimmermann
Publisher: Boyds Mills Press, October 2008
Reading Level: 9-11

With the tough times that families are facing economically, vacations have gone to the wayside for many, but while we sit here in the northeast staring at the snow outside, it doesn't hurt to imagine that you're lounging pool side on one of those enormous cruise ships. "Ocean Liners" is the fourth book in Zimmermann's transportation series for younger readers, following Steam Locomotives, All Aboard!, and Steamboats. This picture book traces the history of ocean liners through wars, the development of the airplane, and the evolution of the cruise ship industry. Ships such as England’s Britannia, Holland’s Statendam, and Germany’s Amerika transported the rich and famous, as well as millions of immigrants to North America. The Titanic, among the most famous of ocean liners, steamed into legend on the night of April 14, 1912, when it collided with an iceberg. Other liners, such as the Luisitania and the Normandie, were destroyed during the two world wars. Over time, airplanes changed the nature of travel—and the role of the ocean liners. The last of the great ships that had been built for transportation turned to offering passengers the pleasures of cruising. Today’s cruise ships are dramatically different from the liners of old. Bigger than ever, they are like small cities on the water. From the Great Britain, perhaps the first great ocean liner, launched in 1843, to today’s Freedom of the Seas, which has fifteen decks and carries 4,375 passengers, Karl Zimmermann tells the fascinating story of ocean liners—their history, development, and culture. The text is very informative and the photographs will have you planning your next vacation!

Karl Zimmermann is a frequent contributor to the travel sections of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post, and he has written more than 20 books.

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Ghost Liners: Exploring the World's Greatest Lost Ships (64pp) by Robert D. Ballard, Rick Archbold, and Ken Marschall (Little Brown Young Readers, September 1998- Ages 9-12)


Hop over to Anastasia Suen's picture book of the day blog for the Nonfiction Monday roundup!