Beneath Blue Waters: Meetings With Remarkable Deep-Sea Creatures (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Kate Madin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8. This beautifully illustrated book provides an interesting combination of information about life in three distinct ocean zones and how scientists work from direct observations and in laboratories with living samples gathered during expeditions. Divers descend together in the first zone (Epipelagic, from the surface to a depth of about 450 feet), and while the safety diver watches over them, the others observe and search for creatures to collect for later laboratory study. The animals encountered are briefly described in the text; the matching full-color photographs are stunning in their brilliant clarity and vivid portrayal of these unique creatures. Both common and Latin names are used; this is helpful because many of the animals are too new and unfamiliar to have common names. Pronunciation guides are given. Both the second zone (the Mesopelagic, from 450-3,000 feet deep) and the third zone (the Benthopelagic, the 600 feet of water above the seafloor in places where the seafloor is no more than 6,000 feet deep) require special vehicles to explore. These zones yield new discoveries under the most difficult conditions of darkness, cold, and intense water pressure. There is no index, but the three-page glossary provides some page references for illustrations and narrative amplification.?Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5 and up. Far from all those books about whales and sharks, this astonishing photo-essay explores a deep undersea world with oceanographers, who venture more than a mile down through the ocean to observe and photograph creatures barely ever seen by anyone. The introduction calls it "the last frontier on earth," and readers will be caught by the excitement of traveling there as well as by the science that names and classifies and observes the plants and animals of an alien world. Combining the events and photographs of several real diving expeditions, Kovacs and Madin, both associated with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, narrate three hypothetical voyages of discovery. The first is with scuba divers in the upper epipelagic zone, where the sunlight allows a wide variety of plants and animals to thrive. The second journey is in a research sub to the mesopelagic zone of deepening darkness, where survival is hard and the creatures are scarce. The third is in a special deep-diving research sub to the seafloor, where very few humans have ever been and where they have found a surprising diversity of species that rivals the rain forest. The scientists have photographed and brought back some of these creatures for study, and the close-up pictures include shots of animals that have not yet been named. It's irritating that several long inserts interrupt the main narrative in midsentence, but they do provide fascinating biological information, and the book design is handsome, open, and accessible. For all those turned on by this account of modern exploration, there's a final earthbound reminder--it's back in the lab that the inspiration is turned into hard data. Glossary. Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Viking Juvenile (November 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670856533
• ISBN-13: 978-0670856534
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #725,108 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great!, May 12, 2003

A Kid's Review

This book has great pictures. It shows all of the animals that were found with great detail. This is an awesome book!