Super Submarines by Tony Mitton and Ant Parker, published by Kingfisher
Suggested age range 4-7
Watch as the crew takes a brightly-coloured sub through its underwater manoeuvres! Technical vocabulary in the rhyming text will intrigue budding engineers, and the friendly illustrations are full of helpful details.
Which special words tell you about submarines and how they operate? Propeller, rudder, periscope, salvage, ballast, dock…Somebody Swallowed Stanley by Sarah Roberts and Hannah Peck, published by Scholastic
Suggested age range 3-6
The whale thinks Stanley’s a jellyfish and will make a tasty snack. But Stanley has handles, not tentacles…. what a BIG mistake! This lively picturebook about an ocean-going plastic bag will make you think as well as laugh.
Invent more rubbish-creatures to swim with Stanley. How will your Fischer Mk2 rescue them?The Big Book of the Blue by Yuval Zommer, published by Thames and Hudso
Suggested age range 4-10
Cheerful, chatty and full of amazing facts about the sea, this picturebook takes a welcoming approach to non-fiction and the double-spread illustrations are stunning.
Write and illustrate a new spread about your Fischer Mk2 and add it to the book...
If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen, published by Puffin
Suggested age range 4-10
Meet Jack, a boy who designs and constructs a truly amazing car. Inspired by futuristic mid-century American artwork, this action-packed picturebook has a rhyming text and lots to enjoy on every page.
If you added new features, what could your Fischer Mk2 do? Draw your ideas!
The Octonauts Explore the Great Big Ocean by Meomi, published by HarperCollins
Suggested age range 5-9
The much-loved heroes of the animated TV series are researching underwater habitats. Will they be able to help the Vegimals in a quest to discover their true home?
What will the Octonauts do when they meet your Fischer Mk2? Tell the story of what happens – or act it out!
Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne and Eric Puybaret, published by Chronicle Books
Suggested age range 5-10
This fascinating picturebook tells the real-life story of world-famous diver and oceanographer Jacques Cousteau.
Cousteau had to design his own diving equipment because what he wanted didn’t exist. Can you design a new piece of equipment for your Fischer Mk2? What will your crew do with it?
Traction Man is Here by Mini Grey, published by RandomHouse
Suggested age range 5-10
Traction Man and his trusty sidekick Scrubbing Brush battle the forces of evil in a series of household adventures - including a kitchen-sink mission to discover the Lost Wreck of the Sieve! This absorbing (and very funny) exploration of the power of imaginative play will inspire lots of storymaking.
Add some household objects to a story about your Fischer Mk2. How will you use them? What will they become?
Flotsam by David Wiesner, published by Andersen Press
Suggested age range 5-10
This wordless picturebook tells the story of an old-fashioned camera as it travels through the oceans, capturing photos of strange new creatures and deep-sea magic.
What amazing sights will you see from the dome of your Fischer Mk2? Draw the pictures and tell the stories. Then film yourself presenting a TV show about your discoveries!
A First Book of the Sea by Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton, published by Walker Books
Suggested age range 4-10
This beautiful anthology includes sea-themed poetry together with information about the world’s oceans, the people who explore them and the creatures that live beneath the waves.
Can you find another poem about the sea and illustrate it? Or write your own...
Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins, published by Walker Books
Suggested age range 2-5
Go for a swim with Little Fish and his mum and say hello to all his brightly-coloured friends. Lucy Cousins’ cheerful artwork is complemented by a rhyming text with plenty of child-appeal.
Why not paint some Lucy Cousins-style fish and hang them using thread so they look as though they’re swimming? Then take your Fischer Mk2 on a dive to meet them...Cut ribbons from green and blue paper or cloth. Using blutak or sticky tape, attach to the edge of a table so the ribbons form a sea-curtain around your secret hideout. Draw fish and other ocean creatures and attach them to the underside of the table.
Snuggle on cushions in your ocean den and read stories to your toys – or enlist them as crew while you pilot your imaginary Fischer Mk2 on a special underwater mission!
Turn an old shoebox into an underwater diorama (like a mini 3D stage set) using card, paint and other materials.*
Add wax-resist details using crayons or candle stubs before washing with blue paint, or print green seaweed-designs onto a dry background using carefully-cut potato or card shapes.
Once your diorama is ready, add your Fischer Mk2 and photograph it. Use an adjustable table lamp or torch to create lighting effects!
*pebbles, sponges, fabric, pipecleaners, shells, green scourers, eggboxes, magazine clippings… whatever you have available!
Use your senses to explore the Fischer Mk2’s watery world
Wiggle your fingers in a bowl of water to make ripples and waves. What does it feel like? What can you see? Close your eyes and try again, then blow some bubbles. What can you hear?
Use your voice and household objects to make sound effects for sea and wind. Add other noises to your ocean soundscape - seabirds? mermaids? And what about a great big storm?
Stir salt into a glass of water and watch it dissolve. How much can you add before it stops dissolving? Put a tiny drop of the salty water on your tongue. What does it taste like? Blind-taste different snacks to pick out those that are salty, like the sea.
Make water-wands using ribbon-strips of sea-coloured fabric or paper attached to straws (or newspaper sheets rolled into sticks.) Wave them as you listen to music, then let your wand lead you into an ocean dance. Cast some secret sea-spells as you go!
Draw a labelled diagram of your Fischer Mk2. Invent some extra features – wings? an ejector seat? - and add them to your diagram. Could you draw a cross-section?
Draw maps to record your underwater missions. Add notes recording what you did and what you discovered.
Find out more about Daniel Weatheritt via his website here
Watch episodes of The Octonauts CBBC animated series here
To see a fabulous cutaway cross-section of an imaginary submarine from The Treasure of Captain Claw by Jonathan Emmett and Steve Cox, published by Orchard, click here
For an animated version of Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins, published by Walker Books, click here
For a downloadable Traction Man paper doll and outfits, visit Mini Grey's website here
To watch author and eco-expert Sarah Roberts talking about plastic pollution and her picturebook Somebody Swallowed Stanley, click here
Copyright: Cast of Thousands 2022 All rights reserved.
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