Glow Down Deep: Amazing Creatures That Light Up

Lisa Regan and Firefly Books have created an outstanding non-fiction piece that will be sure to delight all readers. Glow Down Deep: Amazing Creatures That Light Up features 23 different underwater creatures that each have their own special abilities to glow or emit their own light. Each creature is featured on a double-page spread with a high-resolution close-up photo, a brief write up, important and interesting information, and a ‘Did You Know’ fast fact. Glow Down Deep is an exceptional quality book with thick, glossy pages, a sturdy cover with a fun holographic insert, full-page coverage, and wonderful nonfiction text features. These text features include a table of contents, bolded and highlighted words that are featured in a glossary, pronunciation guides for new and difficult words, and sidebars (side-bubbles!) with extra facts and additional pictures. The highlight of the book, however, is the random glow-in-the-dark pages showcasing various light-up creatures!

Another highlight of Glow Down Deep is that it features a variety of creatures that are unique and probably new to readers. The only ones that I was familiar with were: Sea Cucumber, Krill, Plankton, Anglerfish, and Seahorse. The rest may have had some familiar elements (like squid or coral or jellyfish) but were interesting species variations that I was unfamiliar with. This novelty of content made the book delightful to read, as almost all the facts that I read were new to me, and it will be sure to captivate audiences young and old! The amount and quality of information per page is also top-notch; there is enough information to learn something new but not enough to be overwhelming. There is also a wonderful balance of introducing new, difficult terms while still keeping the book accessible to readers. The book does a great job of both teaching and entertaining.

Glow Down Deep: Amazing Creatures That Light Up would be most suitable for strong grade three readers and up as there are some challenging scientific terms and new words. However, readers of all ages will enjoy this book, even if it must be read to them, and the enjoyment will reach beyond the student population to adults! The glow-in-the-dark pages are sure to entertain readers for hours and keep them coming back time and time again. Caution, this book may keep readers up at night as well! The only possible downfall to this book is that some of the photos of the creatures may be a little bit scary for younger readers, but that is a minor point to such an amazing book. My personal pet peeve with the book is that there were not nearly enough glow-in-the-dark pictures – just eight! Glow Down Deep: Amazing Creatures That Light Up is a book that should be in all libraries, classrooms, and homes, as readers will be enamored with it. Readers who enjoyed this title might also like Regan’s Nature at Night.