Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Otis and Will Discover the Deep: The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere, by Barb Rosenstock, is a nonfiction picture book that tells the story of an engineer and an explorer who teamed up to build and man a hollow metal diving tank in 1930. They descended further than anyone had before, and saw for the first time the dark realms and creatures of the deep ocean. Illustrator Katherine Roy (How to Be an Elephant, Neighborhood Sharks) brings the action-packed text to life, showing how exciting -- and risky -- scientific discovery can be. A big four-page foldout spread shows the dark underwater landscape the explorers saw. An author's note tells more history and includes archival photos of the men and the Bathysphere.
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What's the Story?
OTIS AND WILL DISCOVER THE DEEP: THE RECORD-SETTING DIVE OF THE BATHYSPHERE begins by showing Otis and Will as curious, scientifically minded boys: Otis putting together a wooden helmet and hose so he could explore underwater and studying machines in college to become an engineer; Will tracking woodland animals and growing up to become an explorer and director of research for the Bronx Zoo. They eventually meet and collaborate on designing a diving tank -- a hollow metal ball called the Bathysphere -- to explore the never-before-seen deep ocean. The story chronicles the preparation and launch of the tank, the tense first dive the two made, and the amazing sights they saw through the tank's round windows.
Is It Any Good?
This exciting, suspenseful account of the Bathysphere's first deep-ocean dive vividly conveys the thrill of scientific discovery and celebrates the passion and drive of the diving tank's two creators. Barb Rosenstock's text is gripping and informative, and Katherine Roy's you-are-there watercolor illustrations plunge readers into the story, pulling them along through the briny deep, as fish, eels, squid, jellyfish, and then-unnamed species swim by. She uses warm earth tones on land and cool blues and greens under the sea, while endpapers highlight and label selected fish and creatures. An author's note includes archival photographs of the two men and the Bathysphere. And a fascinating illustrator's note recounts the lengths to which Roy went, imagining and simulating what it was like for Otis and Will, two 6-foot-tall men, to be cramped in their tiny 4.5-foot-wide sphere.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about teamwork in Otis and Will Discover the Deep. How do the the engineer and the scientist work together as a team? What special skills does each one bring? How do others up on the boat help them when they're deep in the water?
How does scientific exploration seem like an adventure? What worlds would you like to explore?
Have you ever been on a submarine or seen fish in the ocean while snorkeling? Are you curious about seeing fish in their natural habitat?
Book Details
- Author: Barb Rosenstock
- Illustrator: Katherine Roy
- Genre: Picture Book
- Topics: STEM, Great Boy Role Models, Ocean Creatures, Science and Nature
- Book type: Non-Fiction
- Publishers: Little, Little, Brown and Company
- Publication date: June 5, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 4 - 8
- Number of pages: 48
- Available on: Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: November 9, 2018
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