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Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin
Climb aboard Alvin, the famous deep-sea submersible credited with helping to find the Titanic, and take a trip two miles down to the bottom of the ocean.
Experience a day in the life of an Alvin pilot and join scientists at the seafloor to collect samples and conduct research. Along the way, discover what one wears, eats, and talks about during a typical eight-hour trip in a underwater craft and find out more about the animals that live deep in our oceans. Extensive back matter explains how Alvin works, describes the author's research, and includes a glossary and further reading.
"An appealing, exhilarating, and informative vicarious journey of discovery" --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
"Wong's detailed illustrations add an exciting immediacy to the descent and to the glowing wonders of the deep"--Washington Post
Experience a day in the life of an Alvin pilot and join scientists at the seafloor to collect samples and conduct research. Along the way, discover what one wears, eats, and talks about during a typical eight-hour trip in a underwater craft and find out more about the animals that live deep in our oceans. Extensive back matter explains how Alvin works, describes the author's research, and includes a glossary and further reading.
"An appealing, exhilarating, and informative vicarious journey of discovery" --Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
"Wong's detailed illustrations add an exciting immediacy to the descent and to the glowing wonders of the deep"--Washington Post
32 pages, Hardcover
First published August 4, 2018
10 people are currently reading
400 people want to read
About the author
Michelle Cusolito
7 books19 followersAuthor. Educator. Public Speaker. Science Communicator.
Michelle Cusolito is the award-winning author of Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible ALVIN and Diving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean. She joined a three-week research expedition to the North Atlantic with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to research for A Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone: Twenty-Four Days of Science at Sea. That expedition fueled her love of science communication and being at sea. Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing Medusas and In the World of Whales publish in 2025. Michelle dreams of swimming with whale sharks one day. www.michellecusolito.com
Michelle Cusolito is the award-winning author of Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible ALVIN and Diving Deep: Using Machines to Explore the Ocean. She joined a three-week research expedition to the North Atlantic with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution to research for A Window into the Ocean Twilight Zone: Twenty-Four Days of Science at Sea. That expedition fueled her love of science communication and being at sea. Jellyfish Scientist: Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing Medusas and In the World of Whales publish in 2025. Michelle dreams of swimming with whale sharks one day. www.michellecusolito.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews
February 9, 2024
Everyone in a Navajo family tries to be the first to make a new baby laugh - what a beautiful custom! I think it is so important to save cultural traditions to share with the next generation - you gain so much insight into who you are when you know where you come from. This is a tradition I think all families could incorporate. Highest recommendation.
May 4, 2025
I liked how the pictures of this submersible drew some older kids on-board. It gave the feel to the young reader like THEY could see themselves doing this one day.
I did appreciate the science of the actual stages of the dive:
- entry on the surface; secure hatch
- diving through progressively darker water (saying how scientists like to listen to music on the long trip down)
- measuring ocean currents at descenting
- using sonar for depth/finding things
- possible debris on the bottom
- lava mounds; vent chimneys; black smokers
- bacteria, worms, clams everywhere (this counts as life!)
- coming back up from the cold
Nice to see this on my local public library shelf.
5*
I did appreciate the science of the actual stages of the dive:
- entry on the surface; secure hatch
- diving through progressively darker water (saying how scientists like to listen to music on the long trip down)
- measuring ocean currents at descenting
- using sonar for depth/finding things
- possible debris on the bottom
- lava mounds; vent chimneys; black smokers
- bacteria, worms, clams everywhere (this counts as life!)
- coming back up from the cold
Nice to see this on my local public library shelf.
5*
October 26, 2018
Navajo families encourage their babies to produce a first laugh.
This book has beautiful illustrations of various settings of Navajo families. The rich Navajo tradition of the first laugh and other baby traditions around the world are shared with others in this book.
This book has beautiful illustrations of various settings of Navajo families. The rich Navajo tradition of the first laugh and other baby traditions around the world are shared with others in this book.
October 3, 2018
Charming and cute and culturally rich. Loved the back matter about ceremonies to celebrate the arrival of a new baby. Highly recommended for ages 4-7 (my 9.5 y.o. loved it, though, so could stretch older for some kids).
May 12, 2019
A beautiful book that was such a cool learning experience about this Navajo/Dine baby ceremony. I also thought it was really cool how there was an afterward about other ceremonies in different religions and cultures.
June 15, 2020
Others in our #imwayr community have shared this book and so I was thrilled when it became available through my public library. The First Laugh Celebration is a Navajo tradition that welcomes a baby into the family and clan. This book shows a Navajo family watching and waiting through all the yawns, smiles, and scowls until a young baby finally laughs. Sooo precious! ❤ I was sad to read that author Rose Ann Tahe became suddenly ill and passed away in the final weeks before the printing of this book. But I’m grateful that the family pushed to fulfill Tahe’s wishes and share this story with the world. The back matter includes Author’s Notes, an Illustrator’s Note, and a great deal of information about the Navajo First Laugh celebration, as well as infant celebrations from other cultures. The illustrations are drawn with pencils and finished with ballpoint pen and Photoshop.
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
February 10, 2024
Spencer rated this book 4 out of 5 stars.
August 24, 2018
In Navajo tradition, the person who gets a baby to laugh first gets to host the First Laugh Ceremony. So an extended family spends time with their baby attempting to get him to laugh out loud. In a variety of settings from a city home to where he is too hungry to laugh and then too busy eating to giggle. He spends time on the Navajo Nation with his grandparents, time on horseback. Music is played, water splashed, tummies tickled and still no laugh. Until his grandfather lifts him high, his grandmother whispers a prayer. So the ceremony is held on the Navajo Nation and filled with family and more laughter.
There is such love on each page of this book, filled with people spending time with a baby. There are quiet times of weaving and before getting up. There are active times of play. It all comes together into a rich family experience that leads directly to a Navajo tradition. The end of the book offers more information on the settings of the book, the ceremony and ceremonies from other cultures for babies. The illustrations focus on the family as well, depicting the different settings of the book warmly. Just as with the text, there is love on each page.
A warm look at the Navajo First Laugh Ceremony and a great depiction of a modern Native American family. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
There is such love on each page of this book, filled with people spending time with a baby. There are quiet times of weaving and before getting up. There are active times of play. It all comes together into a rich family experience that leads directly to a Navajo tradition. The end of the book offers more information on the settings of the book, the ceremony and ceremonies from other cultures for babies. The illustrations focus on the family as well, depicting the different settings of the book warmly. Just as with the text, there is love on each page.
A warm look at the Navajo First Laugh Ceremony and a great depiction of a modern Native American family. Appropriate for ages 3-6.
September 11, 2018
In Navajo families, the first person to make a new baby laugh hosts the child's First Laugh Ceremony. I learned this when my students and I worked with the Navajo one wonderful trip during my teaching years.
This time I had the joy of meeting Nancy Bo Flood and Jonathan Nelson here in Denver at a local Indie bookstore. Sadly, Nancy told me that Rose Ann Tahe passed away before the book was even published. Her family gave permission to continue with publication.
As everyone in the family tries for this baby's laugh, we learn about other aspects of Navajo life and names for family members, like 'nima' for mom and 'cheii' for grandfather. It's a sweet story that also adds information at the back about other cultural ceremonies that welcome new babies. Jonathan adds some cultural clues in his illustrations, giving it the right feel for this native story.
This time I had the joy of meeting Nancy Bo Flood and Jonathan Nelson here in Denver at a local Indie bookstore. Sadly, Nancy told me that Rose Ann Tahe passed away before the book was even published. Her family gave permission to continue with publication.
As everyone in the family tries for this baby's laugh, we learn about other aspects of Navajo life and names for family members, like 'nima' for mom and 'cheii' for grandfather. It's a sweet story that also adds information at the back about other cultural ceremonies that welcome new babies. Jonathan adds some cultural clues in his illustrations, giving it the right feel for this native story.
January 31, 2019
A new baby is born to a Dine (Navajo) family. It is a great honor to be the first person to make the baby laugh. Each member of the family tickles, coos and plays with the baby in an attempt to make him laugh. Grandfather is the one to accomplish it first. This means the grandparents get to host the formal "welcome to the family" ceremony for the new baby.
End pages include information on important childhood customs from other cultures. Very well done.
End pages include information on important childhood customs from other cultures. Very well done.
March 24, 2018
This book quite literally immerses you in the experience of piloting the Alvin deep-sea submersible to the ocean floor. Vivid descriptions and gorgeous illustrations left me wishing I could journey to the bottom of the sea, too. A great story for budding marine biologists and adventurers.
(review from an advanced reader's copy)
(review from an advanced reader's copy)
January 4, 2019
Great addition to the collection - tells how the first person to make the baby laugh in Navajo culture gets to host their Laughing ceremony. It's a lovely book to share Navajo culture, and I love the way it goes through days of a loving, extended family trying to make a baby laugh beore at last a Grandfather succeeds.
October 1, 2019
Absolutely loved this one! Not only is is rich in love and family and culture, how fantastic is it that Dine babies are celebrated over their first laugh?! The entire concept makes me happy. Lovely illustrations, and the end note tribute to the author who passed away, as well as info about other welcoming celebrations for children around the world, are amazing. Just go check this out already.
September 23, 2018
This book is amazing. It tells the story of a Navajo celebration where babies become members of their tribe on the day they first laugh. Such a wonderful tradition! The art is so special. I love that it depicts Native Americans in the modern world. It's just about perfect.
January 24, 2019
Lovely inclusion of contemporary images featuring a well-developed and adorably illustrated indigenous family. Excellent bilingual elements and inclusive, relevant backmatter.
August 24, 2019
A beautiful celebration of Dine (Navajo) traditions and their presence in today's world. Includes a list of other celebrations of babies from around the world.
Own voices
Own voices
July 5, 2020
Reading the story did not make much sense to me until afterward when I read the cover copy and end matter and discovered it was about a traditional Navajo ceremony. Picture books are like jokes, I guess, and aren't as good if they have to be explained.
July 24, 2020
This had an anthropological tone that bugged me.
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April 19, 2022Rose Ann Tahe writes a descriptive and informative book for children on an important Navajo tradition: the first laugh. For Navajo families, making a baby laugh for the first time is an honor and comes with hosting the child’s first Laugh Ceremony. This book is colorful and inviting to children while teaching them the basic traditions of the Navajo tribe. Besides this tradition, Tahe includes other culture’s baby welcoming ceremonies to show children that many cultures, while different, all have commonalities. I recommend this book highly for teaching young children (specifically toddlers) that not every culture raises children the same and that other people’s traditions are to be celebrated.
March 17, 2025
I love the concept of having to make a baby laugh as a family tradition. That is so pure and so sweet. I would read this to my classroom to introduce family traditions.
Read
February 25, 2024I chose this book because it tells the story of a Navajo tradition.
In addition to the story of who could make the baby laugh first, I liked the explanations at the back of the book about traditions from many cultures.
I would use this book as part of a multicultural unit.
In addition to the story of who could make the baby laugh first, I liked the explanations at the back of the book about traditions from many cultures.
I would use this book as part of a multicultural unit.
February 6, 2020
Wonderful book! Love it!
August 27, 2021
Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin is a children's picture book written by Michelle Cusolito and illustrated by Nicole Wong. Readers join an Alvin pilot and scientists in an exciting journey as they voyage down deep to the ocean floor to collect samples and conduct research.
Alvin (DSV-2) is a crewed deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Cusolito's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Cusolito's inviting narration puts readers inside the submersible to discover what one wears, eats, and talks about during a typical eight-hour journey to learn about life inhabiting the deepest realms of our oceans. Backmatter explains how Alvin works and describes the author's and illustrator's research, glossary, and further reading. The digitally created illustrations evoke the dark mysteriousness of the deep ocean and depict the crew as a man of color, a white woman, and a white man.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Named for Allyn Vine, who helped pioneer deep submergence research and technology for the WHOI, Alvin helped in the exploration of the Titanic wreckage in 1986. The voyage down is not without perils like fishing nets and anchor chains and black smokers' blast scalding water and poisonous, sooty particles from deep inside Earth.
All in all, Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin is an appealing, exhilarating, and informative vicarious journey of discovery.
Alvin (DSV-2) is a crewed deep-ocean research submersible owned by the United States Navy and operated by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Cusolito's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Cusolito's inviting narration puts readers inside the submersible to discover what one wears, eats, and talks about during a typical eight-hour journey to learn about life inhabiting the deepest realms of our oceans. Backmatter explains how Alvin works and describes the author's and illustrator's research, glossary, and further reading. The digitally created illustrations evoke the dark mysteriousness of the deep ocean and depict the crew as a man of color, a white woman, and a white man.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Named for Allyn Vine, who helped pioneer deep submergence research and technology for the WHOI, Alvin helped in the exploration of the Titanic wreckage in 1986. The voyage down is not without perils like fishing nets and anchor chains and black smokers' blast scalding water and poisonous, sooty particles from deep inside Earth.
All in all, Flying Deep: Climb Inside Deep-Sea Submersible Alvin is an appealing, exhilarating, and informative vicarious journey of discovery.
October 30, 2018
A very sweet book. I loved the muted colors of the illustrations and the ways different family members trying to bring out the baby's laughter.
As a librarian who's always trying to add culturally competent works to my collection, I loved the inclusion of culture-specific details to help Navajo/Dine people connect with in-group signals in the book, and at the same time the book seems pretty connective with non-group members because the experience of new babies and the excitement of first laughs and smiles is broadly appreciated across multiple cultures. This book also presents members of Native American people as people of the present--they live in varying landscapes. Not all of them live in rural areas, wearing traditional dress, etc. This is always important in books, because so much children's literature presents Natives as people of the past, as though they don't exist anymore and aren't a living culture.
The notes at the end of the book were both sweet and educational for folks not familiar with the First Laugh ceremony, offered a nice perspective of who the authors are, what the book means to them, and some ways other cultures welcome babies/children into the world and community.
As a librarian who's always trying to add culturally competent works to my collection, I loved the inclusion of culture-specific details to help Navajo/Dine people connect with in-group signals in the book, and at the same time the book seems pretty connective with non-group members because the experience of new babies and the excitement of first laughs and smiles is broadly appreciated across multiple cultures. This book also presents members of Native American people as people of the present--they live in varying landscapes. Not all of them live in rural areas, wearing traditional dress, etc. This is always important in books, because so much children's literature presents Natives as people of the past, as though they don't exist anymore and aren't a living culture.
The notes at the end of the book were both sweet and educational for folks not familiar with the First Laugh ceremony, offered a nice perspective of who the authors are, what the book means to them, and some ways other cultures welcome babies/children into the world and community.
January 22, 2019
First Laugh Welcome, Baby! By Rose Ann Tahe and NancyBo Flood, illustrated by Jonathan Nelson. PICTURE BOOK. Charlesbridge. 2018. $17.00. 9781580897945
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) –ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
At its most basic this is a story is about a family trying to make their baby laugh. But this story is about a Navajo family and one of their very special traditions. The first person that gets the baby to laugh gets to host the First Laugh Ceremony. So all the family members happily persist through home and travel. Features stunning illustrations.
The illustrations in this book are top notch, bright, vivid and carefully crafted! I would add this story to my library in a heartbeat –both for the Navajo cultural aspect (one of the authors is Navajo) and for the cultural traditions surrounding babies (many more from other cultures are listed in the back of the book). I didn’t list this book as essential only because the Navajo tribe is local to my state, and perhaps librarians in other parts of the country may want to focus on the tribes in and surrounding their own state.
Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author.
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) –ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
At its most basic this is a story is about a family trying to make their baby laugh. But this story is about a Navajo family and one of their very special traditions. The first person that gets the baby to laugh gets to host the First Laugh Ceremony. So all the family members happily persist through home and travel. Features stunning illustrations.
The illustrations in this book are top notch, bright, vivid and carefully crafted! I would add this story to my library in a heartbeat –both for the Navajo cultural aspect (one of the authors is Navajo) and for the cultural traditions surrounding babies (many more from other cultures are listed in the back of the book). I didn’t list this book as essential only because the Navajo tribe is local to my state, and perhaps librarians in other parts of the country may want to focus on the tribes in and surrounding their own state.
Reviewer: Stephanie MLS & Author.
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
October 3, 2019
In the book “First laugh—Welcome Baby” written by Rose Ann Tahe it talks about the Navajo culture and the procedure they take when a new baby is born into the community of the Navajo people. In this children’s book the describe that when a child is born in the Navajo community, they create a ceremony where people like the grandparents, the parents, the siblings and everyone close to then attend and try to make the child laugh for the first time. In this book readers are introduced to the culture of the Navajo as well as the different types of names they use to each family member in the family. For example, the grandfather is called “Cheii” in the Navajo community.
This book would be great to read to second graders when Columbus Day is approaching so they could get familiar with indigenous people and learn a bit of background of them. Also, for upper grades it would be a great book to read for a history lesson also when Columbus Day is approaching but rather than just reading it and that’s it, one could assign an assignment after reading the book that was about the Navajo culture considering they would be a bit familiar with it after reading the book. The grade that would work for that would be around 4th to 5th graders.
This book would be great to read to second graders when Columbus Day is approaching so they could get familiar with indigenous people and learn a bit of background of them. Also, for upper grades it would be a great book to read for a history lesson also when Columbus Day is approaching but rather than just reading it and that’s it, one could assign an assignment after reading the book that was about the Navajo culture considering they would be a bit familiar with it after reading the book. The grade that would work for that would be around 4th to 5th graders.
March 22, 2019
The publisher's description really tells you everything you need to know about the book’s contents. But the feeling of the book is what really pulled at my heartstrings. I really love this sweet story about a close knit Navajo family and their joyful wait for baby’s first laugh. The anticipation grows throughout the book as each family member tries to make baby laugh and we learn about Navajo life along the way – through the text and the beautiful illustrations.
Finally, baby laughs for the grandparents, with mom, dad, and siblings gathered to celebrate the special moment. And what a sweet moment it is. (I mean, what is sweeter than the sound of a baby’s laughter, really?) The next spread shows the whole family gathered for The First Laugh Celebration – “We welcome you, Navajo baby, into your family. Into our clans. The back matter tells us more about the heartwarming custom of The First Laugh Celebration.
I love that this book teaches my children about a different culture and custom in such a loving, respectful, and relatable way.
Finally, baby laughs for the grandparents, with mom, dad, and siblings gathered to celebrate the special moment. And what a sweet moment it is. (I mean, what is sweeter than the sound of a baby’s laughter, really?) The next spread shows the whole family gathered for The First Laugh Celebration – “We welcome you, Navajo baby, into your family. Into our clans. The back matter tells us more about the heartwarming custom of The First Laugh Celebration.
I love that this book teaches my children about a different culture and custom in such a loving, respectful, and relatable way.
March 7, 2018
This book puts the reader in the driver seat of a deep-sea submersible. It has a good mix of sounds (like "psssssss" for the oxygen being turned on), sights (like the water getting darker as you go deeper), feel (like your stomach flipping on the descent), taste (like, peanut butter sandwiches for lunch) and much more.
There's also a surprising range of emotions to experience, even though this trip doesn't span more than a day. First of all there's the wonder of undersea life, but there's also the worry of getting trapped or crushed deep in the ocean. There's also a spot of humor...there are no restrooms on the submersible. You can tell the author did an impressive amount of research to make the scenes come so alive for the readers. Also, Michelle Cusolito is a very talented writer to convey it in such a short text.
There's back matter and additional resources for readers who want to dive even deeper. All in all, an exciting trip under the ocean and an informative read!
There's also a surprising range of emotions to experience, even though this trip doesn't span more than a day. First of all there's the wonder of undersea life, but there's also the worry of getting trapped or crushed deep in the ocean. There's also a spot of humor...there are no restrooms on the submersible. You can tell the author did an impressive amount of research to make the scenes come so alive for the readers. Also, Michelle Cusolito is a very talented writer to convey it in such a short text.
There's back matter and additional resources for readers who want to dive even deeper. All in all, an exciting trip under the ocean and an informative read!
November 1, 2018
This seemingly simple story is utterly appealing, and offers welcome insight into a key cultural tradition of Navajo (Dine) families. The importance of laughter as a symbol of core values (kindness, caring, sharing, friendliness) is described in the very accessible and informative back matter. That extra content offers further simple details about the "welcoming" ceremonies of many cultures, practices that officially recognize infants as newest members of an extended family and culture.
The story itself is charming and invaluable in weaving settings, life styles, locations, and experiences that are entirely authentic within the range of Navajo lives. Those insights occur seamlessly while developing a story of loving relationships, friendly competition, and an infant who is secure, attentive, and loved, but seems to innately recognize the importance of that laughter, withholding it until it spontaneously occurs, triggering the welcoming ceremonies.
Must read and share.
The story itself is charming and invaluable in weaving settings, life styles, locations, and experiences that are entirely authentic within the range of Navajo lives. Those insights occur seamlessly while developing a story of loving relationships, friendly competition, and an infant who is secure, attentive, and loved, but seems to innately recognize the importance of that laughter, withholding it until it spontaneously occurs, triggering the welcoming ceremonies.
Must read and share.
April 1, 2019
The baby lives with a loving family of Navajos whose housing seems urban. The baby's first laugh will be celebrated once it happens, but it is slow to come, and all the family members are eager to see it. When the baby visits his grandmother in Navajo Nation, he is wrapped in ribbons of buckskin to keep him snug and the imagery changes to one of desert prairie, with sheep grazing, and the grandmother weaving at her loom. All of these markers of the Navajo culture are similarly woven into the story of waiting for the baby to smile. When the big day finally arrives, the joy is palpable.
Back matter describe the different ways cultures celebrate their children being welcomed into the world, including special rituals in Japan, Australia, and china, and religious customs such as baptism, purification ceremonies, showing how all peoples have their own way of welcoming new babies into the world.
Back matter describe the different ways cultures celebrate their children being welcomed into the world, including special rituals in Japan, Australia, and china, and religious customs such as baptism, purification ceremonies, showing how all peoples have their own way of welcoming new babies into the world.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 291 reviews