What Dwells in the Deep?

What Dwells in the Deep? is a vibrantly illustrated short book from Eye of Newt Publishing whose website states that their goal is “to create unusual, fantastic, and visually stunning books.” This one would easily meet that goal. The premise is that, as readers turn the pages, they are also traveling deeper into the ocean. The book begins at the surface of the ocean, and each page introduces interesting animals and facts. Readers will not get a file folder full of information on each animal, but they will get an amazing illustration of a unique animal. For example, the goblin shark is described as one of the oldest types of sharks, and then there is a short bit of information about its teeth and how it catches its prey. After enjoying the narrative, readers can learn more facts about the animals in the back of the book in the “Additional Notes” section.

What Dwells in the Deep? is a great book that will stir up many questions that will lead to further research on animals of interest for readers. I read the book to a grade 1 / 2 class as I believed they would be fascinated by it, and, indeed, they were. Comments like, “That’s one of the best books ever!” were unprompted, and many students thought the illustrations by Steve James were very good. There were many questions about the animals and, although the “Additional Notes” sections did not answer them all, it was very nice to access and share without having to go and grab an additional resource to look up the answers. This book will meet the interests of the ages and grades indicated above, and it will also be a great addition to any library of read-alouds by older students (or adults) to the targeted age/grades.