According to Greek mythology, Atlantis was an ancient island (dating back to at least 1400 BC) in the Mediterranean Sea near what we now know as Greece. Poseidon, who was god of the sea and brother to Zeus (the top god in Greek mythology), appointed his son Atlas as ruler of Atlantis. The vast island was bigger than the continents we know today and it prospered as a peaceful, wealthy, powerful and sophisticated place. Unfortunately all this good fortune made Atlantis's people feel superior and had them acting spoiled and even lazy. Such behavior angered the gods, who decided to punish Atlantis by destroying it with the power of earthquakes and volcanoes. At the end of one day and one night Atlantis was flooded and buried beneath the ocean, never to be seen again.

Some people believe that this is not just a story told by Plato and other famous Greeks, but that Atlantis was a real place. Many people have searched for Atlantis, even claiming to have discovered artifacts. But without absolute proof, the island's existence remains one of the world's great mysteries.

As you've probably heard, the people at the Walt Disney Company liked this story well enough that they decided to turn it into an animated feature film opening June 15th. In the film, set in 1914, historian/linguist/adventurer Milo Thatch (voice of Michael J. Fox) and a team of explorers search for Atlantis. Their only guide is the ancient Shepherd's Journal, written in Atlantean, that once belonged to Milo's grandfather. What will they discover?

If you're curious about the big-screen vision of Atlantis, we encourage you to check out the movie and the tie-in books it has inspired. We're also suggesting some books about the sea and underwater creatures and adventures that you might enjoy. We hope you'll have a splash of a time exploring them.

   --- Shannon Maughan

DISNEY'S ATLANTIS THE LOST EMPIRE: The Essential Guide
by David John
DK
ISBN: 0789473348
Ages 7-up
64 pages

Vivid full-color photos from the film fill this book that gives you the inside scoop on the making of this film. Check the cool illustrations that served as blueprints for characters, creatures and vehicles, a timeline of events, and tips for decoding the ancient Atlantean language.

THE MYTHICAL WORLD OF ATLANTIS: From Plato to Disney --- Theories of the Lost Empire
by Jeff Kurtti
Disney Editions/Hyperion
ISBN: 0786853263
Ages 10-up
96 pages

This book brings together all the most famous myths and theories developed about Atlantis over the centuries. Dig deeper into the mystery through the words of some noted philosophers and historians.

THE JOURNAL OF MILO THATCH
by Jeff Kurtti
Disney Editions/Hyperion
ISBN: 0786853417
Ages 8-up
128 pages

Feel like you're a part of the Atlantis expedition when you turn the pages of Milo's journal where he's compiled his notes, drawings and translations of Atlantean text.

SUBTERRANEAN TOURS: Atlantis --- A Traveler's Guide to the Lost City
by Jeff Kurtti
Disney Editions/Hyperion
ISBN: 078685328X
Ages 9-up
96 pages

Whenever you travel someplace new, it's a good idea to check out a guide book. Atlantis is no exception. This nifty (and humorous!) volume gives you an idea of what life in Atlantis is/was like. Maps, restaurant recommendations and a glossary of common Atlantean words and phrases are included.

ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE (Junior Novel)
by Tab Murphy
Disney/Random House
ISBN: 0736410864
Ages 8-12
128 pages

Relive the Disney film with this full-length story of Milo's expedition to find Atlantis. Includes eight color pages of exciting scenes from the movie.

THE SEARCH BEGINS
Disney/Random House
ISBN: 0736410813
Ages 6-11
24 pages

In this comic-book-style picture book, you'll relive one of the thrilling adventures from the movie. Don't miss the action as Milo and the crew board the vehicle that will take them on their underwater search for Atlantis.

D'AULAIRE'S BOOK OF GREEK MYTHS
by Ingri D'Aulaire and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
Dell Yearling
ISBN: 0440406943
Ages 8-up
192This is THE classic book about mythology --- a favorite of generations. Find out more about Poseidon and Atlas and their connections to Zeus and the other gods here. This is a story resource you're sure to come back to again and again.

DIVE!: My Adventure in the Deep Frontier
by Sylvia A. Earle
National Geographic Society
ISBN: 0792271440
Ages 8-up
64 pages

If you can't go deep sea diving, this fantastic-looking photo-essay may be the next best thing. Marine biologist Earle describes some of her amazing underwater explorations, from diving to coral reefs to exciting encounters with dolphins, whales and other underwater creatures.

OCEAN LIFE (Time-Life Student Library)
Time-Life
ISBN: 0783513577
Ages 8-up

Explore the colorful plants and animals of the ocean in this volume filled with photos, illustrations, cool stats, and fun facts. Everything you'd want to know about the ocean and the life forms it supports.

A SERENADE OF MERMAIDS: Mermaid Tales from Around the World
by Shirley Climo
illustrated by Lisa Falkenstein
HarperCollins
ISBN: 0064421031
Ages 7-up
112 pages

A treasury of stories about mermaids clever, cursed, or cunning --- but always beautiful and magical. Includes tales from Japan, Switzerland and Scotland.

TWENTY THOUSAND LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA
by Jules Verne
Puffin Classics
ISBN: 0140367217
Ages 9-up
272 pages

The classic science fiction adventure! A mission to rid the seas of a monster becomes a nightmare for Professor Aronnax, Conseil and harpooner Ned Land when they become prisoners of the "monster" itself --- a spectacular submarine ship commanded by Captain Nemo.

DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK (Magic Treehouse #9)
by Mary Pope Osborne
illustrated by Sal Murdocca
Random House
ISBN: 067988338X
Ages 7-10
67 pages

When Jack and Annie found the Magic Treehouse --- a tree fort overflowing with children's books --- they discovered something really amazing. Thanks to the magical powers of Morgan le Fay, a beautiful silver-haired woman from the age of Camelot who created the Magic Treehouse, they discovered how real stories could be.

In DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK Jack and Annie help Morgan solve a riddle. "This book will help you find the answer," Morgan says, handing Jack and Annie a book called Ocean Guide. As Annie makes a wish to visit the ocean setting, the magic of DOLPHINS AT DAYBREAK begins.

"The wind started to blow. 'Are you coming with us, Morgan?' Jack said. Before Morgan could answer the tree house started to spin. Jack squeezed his eyes shut. The tree house spun faster and faster. Then everything was still. Absolutely still. Jack opened his eyes. Morgan le Fay was gone. Only the ancient scroll and the ocean book were left in her place."

Using the facts featured in the nonfiction Ocean Guide and their common sense, Jack and Annie explore this strange new ocean world and all the creatures within it, determined to solve Morgan's riddle. They meet adventure and sea life around every bend. And in the end, they meet the challenge successfully .

   --- by Kelly Milner Halls

HOW WHALES WALKED INTO THE SEA
by Faith McNulty
illustrated by Ted Rand
Scholastic
ISBN: 0590898302
Ages 7-10
32 pages

Did you know that the ancestors of whales didn't even live in the ocean? They were furry four-legged animals that walked on the earth. This fascinating book shows how whales evolved into the sea mammals they are today.

AQUAMARINE
by Alice Hoffman
illustrated by Name
Scholastic
ISBN: 0439098637
Ages 10-up
112 pages

BLUE
by James DeVita
HarperCollins/Laura Geringer
ISBN: 0060295457
Ages 10-up
288 pages

Morgan thinks his life is pretty boring. That is, until he has a dream of an amazing fish --- a leaping blue marlin. The picture in his mind's eye is so clear and real, that Morgan feels like he IS the fish. Soon he becomes more and more fish-like. You won't want to miss all the wild changes in store for Morgan.

CASTAWAYS OF THE FLYING DUTCHMAN
by Brian Jacques
Philomel
ISBN: 0399236015
All ages
384 pages

Once crew members on the famous ghost ship The Flying Dutchman, a cabin boy named Ben and his dog Ned become ghosts of sorts, too. With the help of an angel, they are able to live --- and sail the seas --- forever, exploring new places and hopefully helping people along the way. Come along on this adventure and see if Ben and Ned can save the Victorian town of Chapelvale from destruction. You won't want to miss Brian Jacques' first non-Redwall book.

THE MUSIC OF DOLPHINS
by Karen Hesse
Scholastic
ISBN: 0590897985
Ages 9-12
181 pages

The dolphin girl is happy with her marine mammal family. She thrives within the sea, "a big home," she says, "where all the time is swimming and all the time is singing and all the time is touching in the big wet." She is content in the watery realm, until a Coast Guard crew spots her on a routine surveillance flight over the waters between Florida and Cuba.

She is taken captive, and called Mila (Spanish for miracle). Society is determined to offer the feral child a better life --- whether she wants to be rescued or not.

Mila does her best to please these vaguely familiar strangers. She plays their games, she learns their language, she wears their clothes, and even eats their odd, dead food. But she never truly understands their ways. Doctors try to explain the need for holding Mila hostage. But still she sees the human rituals as temporary --- a diversion until she can rejoin her ocean family.

Newbery Medal winner Karen Hesse has written an amazing story with unwavering
focus and clarity. Mila is the ultimate outsider --- a girl more at home at sea than on land --- and a character we can't help but love. Through her eyes, we see humanity in a new and often uneasy light.

   --- by Kelly Milner Halls

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