Exploring the Deep, Dark Sea Book Review

Book Review

T built his own submersible.
And that's an anglerfish with prey in its mouth.

Exploring the Deep, Dark Sea

By Gail Gibbons

Revised publication: January 15, 2019

Why we chose this book:
T loves books with creatures from the bottom of the sea. The spookier and icky-er the better. Holiday House provided a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mom's Review

A team of oceanographers descends in a submersible. As they drop through the different zones (sunlight, twilight, etc.), readers are introduced to life in that zone. Brief paragraphs strike an ideal balance between maintaining interest, providing enough information, and using age-appropriate vocabulary. We've read a number of deep-sea books, and this has the best narrative. (The Big Book of the Blue is not a narrative. It is a stunning reference book.) Once the submersible returns to the mother ship with numerous specimens, readers learn that oceanographers can also use remotely operated vehicles (ROV's) to explore even deeper destinations. From the Mariana Trench to the shallows and from skin diving to ROV's, children have a comprehensive tour of the oceans and of the history of diving. Back matter provides a timeline of diving developments and the change in man's understanding of the sea.

We love this one! Exploring the Deep, Dark Sea is fascinating and exciting and repeatedly requested by T. Not only did we both learn several new facts about the ocean, the story has translated into T's play. (Did you know that the tripod fish searches for food in the abyss with the tips of its fins? I didn't.) The facts are woven into the narrative smoothly such that T is "collecting specimens" from "the twilight zone" in his LEGO "submersible." That would not be happening had he not been so drawn into this magical work of non-fiction. It's fun. It's factual. It's fantastic.

Son's Review

(Age: 4)

Mom: What's your favorite thing we read?

Son: That it's very deep!

Mom: What is your favorite part of the ocean? Why?

Son: I like the Twilight Zone. It's that creatures make violuminescence [bioluminescence].

Mom: Would you want to go in the submersible? How deep? What would you want to see?

Son: Mmm-hmmm. Eighty-hundredy-fifty deep. I like this deep *points to Hadal Zone.* I would like to go in the Hadal Zone. I would wanna see the creatures buried in the trench!

(I supplied the name of the zone.)

Mom: What was the most amazing thing we read?

Son: This part [the Hadal Zone] really surprised me...the ocean had a trench!

Mom: What would you ask the explorers?

Son, indicating the ROV: Where do you store the animals, 'cuz I'm so sure they store the animals there [in the front section].

Mom: For whom is this a good book?

Son: Anyone who likes the ocean.