Life in Hot Water: Wildlife at the Bottom of the Ocean
by Mary Batten (Author) Thomas Gonzalez (Illustrator)
A dramatic overview of the deep-sea extremophiles that thrive in scalding water and permanent darkness at the bottom of the ocean The scalding-hot water gushing from vents at the bottom of the ocean is one of the most extreme environments on Earth. Yet over millions of years, many organisms--from chemical-eating bacteria to eyeless crabs and iron-shelled snails--have evolved in amazing ways that enable them to thrive in this unlikely habitat. Scientists are hard at work to learn more about the complex ecosystems of the ocean depths.
Award-winning science writer Mary Batten and New York Times best-selling illustrator Thomas Gonzalez, the masterful duo that created Life in a Frozen World, team up again in this impressive overview of hydrothermal ocean vents. Her clear, informative text coupled with his unique and eerily realistic paintings of sights never seen on land--gushing black smokers, ghostly blind shrimp, red-plumed tube worms--will entice readers to learn more about this once-hidden world at the bottom of the sea.
Locate at a Library Near You WorldCat is the world's largest library catalog, helping you find library materials online.
Find books about:
Publishers Weekly
A deep-sea submersible shines its headlights through murky ocean depths at the start of this fact-packed read that spotlights an ecosystem thriving at the extremes. After discussing scientists' 1977 encounter with miles-deep hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, Batten's instructive narrative details life forms found teeming around the vents, made possible by microbes that "eat the poisonous vent chemicals" to "produce simple sugars on which vent creatures depend." Gonzalez's strikingly realistic pastel, colored pencil, and airbrush spreads, meanwhile, offer close-up views of these "extremophiles," such as a snail that sports an iron-scaled shell. While detail-heavy passages sometimes read with a textbook's density, stunning scientific facts reward persistent readers, and a brief discussion of the oceanographic finds' significance rounds things out (e.g., a "study of an enzyme from a vent microbe helped in the creation of a test for the coronavirus"). Ocean facts, an author's note, glossary, and selected bibliography wrap up this fascinating glimpse into life that seemingly defies all odds. Ages 6-9. (June)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
Review quotes
[A] fact-packed read that spotlights an ecosystem thriving at the extremes. . . . Gonzalez's strikingly realistic pastel, colored pencil, and airbrush spreads, meanwhile, offer close-up views. . . . [A] fascinating glimpse into life that seemingly defies all odds.—Publishers Weekly
JNF003150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Marine Life
JNF037070 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Earth Sciences - Water (Oceans, Lakes, Etc.)
Ocean bottom ecology
