Otis and Will Discover the Deep : the Record-setting Dive of the Bathysphere

Otis and Will Discover the Deep: the Record-setting Dive of the Bathysphere

by Barb Rosenstock
Illustrated by Katherine Roy
Little, Brown and Company, 2018. Informational. 48 p.

Otis Barton and Will Beebe are the brave scientist explorers who did the first deep sea dive in 1930 in a submersible called the Bathysphere. This nonfiction picture book tells how the two men got started and tries to communicate what it might have been like descending into the deep ocean. The text is sparse, but nicely crafted. Roy's illustrations are what makes this a stand-out STEM offering. Done in careful watercolors, they are at the same time realistic and artistic. A fold out page with a host of unusual deep sea fish marks the climax of the story at the nadir of the voyage. Rosenstock adds an interesting historical note at the end, and Roy discusses the challenges in illustrating the story. This would make a great choice for science-loving kids or a teacher read-aloud for a 2-4 grade class who are studying oceanography.

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