Review by Booklist Review
This unusual book showcases riveting photos of rarely seen and recently discovered deep-sea animals. Brightly lit, clearly delineated, and often highly magnified, their colorful and sometimes bizarre or even horrific forms seem to glow against the stark, black backgrounds. Each creature is identified and discussed in a small-print paragraph that might (or might not) comment on matters such as its size, distinctive features, behavior, habitat, and locale. It would have been helpful if the size, at least, were consistently noted. A marine researcher and conservationist, Hoyt contributes a fascinating introduction discussing conditions in the deep ocean, where typical conditions include extreme cold, pressure, and darkness, and some of the animals use echolocation or bioluminescence for survival. He also explains how photographers captured the remarkable images. Although his descriptions of the creatures, their habitats, and the process of photographing them will be more accessible to older children and adults, the dramatic photos will attract a very broad audience.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5 Up-Fangs, "fur," and photophores abound in this colorful celebration of decidedly odd and recently discovered species. Through 50 gorgeous photos, readers are introduced to a yeti crab; a spined pigmy shark; Dumbo, the octopod; and many other deep-sea dwellers. A carefully constructed introduction presents the physical characteristics of the abyssal ocean-its cold darkness, its cruel pressure-and of the difficulties in finding, collecting, and photographing the creatures that call it home. Also included are explanations of the function of chromophores and photophores and the little that is known about the "language of light"' of abyssal animals. Following those informative pages is an album of rare beauty. Stunning full-page photos give readers a rare close-up view of animals ranging in size from a 1/24 inch oikopleura squirt to a six-foot-long orangeback flying squid, each accompanied by a brief informative paragraph. For those who have enjoyed Sneed B. Collard's The Deep-Sea Floor (Charlesbridge, 2003), this is a veritable book of revelations. A feast for the eye and a tickle for the mind.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Close-up photos of 50 creatures--gathered, mostly, from ocean deeps--demonstrate that even our own planet's residents can look really, really alien. The main event is prefaced by an introductory essay explaining the photographers' methods as well as the mechanisms of bioluminescence and other adaptations to deep sea conditions. The following picture gallery features full-page side or front views of animals ranging from bulbous sea cucumbers and sea anemones to an exaggeratedly toothy viperfish, a writhing benthic octopus and a furry crustacean evocatively dubbed a yeti crab. Captions note each creature's diet, habitat, scientific name (if any--several are too newly discovered to have an official one) and physical characteristics. As the specimens were all photographed not in natural settings but on the surface under controlled conditions, each is suspended against a solid black background and brightly, evenly lit. Though it's impossible to tell which parts glow naturally, subtle colors shine, and complex surface features are thrown into high relief. The portraits all look about the same size, though the original subjects were between 3 feet and 1/24th of an inch in length. Eerie, riveting eye candy for budding biologists and casual browsers alike (though it is a shame there is no bibliography). (index) (Nonfiction. 7-11)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
