Into the Deep

by David Sheldon

"To be a naturalist is better than to be a king."
--William Beebe's journal, December 31, 1893

William Beebe was a pioneer in the field of ecology, the father of deep-sea exploration, and an avid conservationist. This picture-book biography charts the life of this famous naturalist from his childhood studying animals in New Jersey through his later years studying birds at the research station he started in Trinidad.

Back matter includes quotes from Beebe, a glossary of terms, and an illustrated cross section of the Bathysphere, which Beebe helped design.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Science, Nature, Nonfiction, Childrens, Conservation

48 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

David Sheldon is the illustrator of many books and more recently the author of biographies for children. He lives in Brooklyn, New York, with his wife Margit and their three children.

Reviews

[The Styling Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Into the Deep by David Sheldon - I had this on my former school library shelf and glanced at it before but didn't realize how absolutely perfect it was for teaching about ecosystems, naturalists, and biographies. I think it is a brilliant book, well done, and can't wait to share it with my students who are just wrapping up their ecosystem unit. - 2nd grade and up!

[Kimberly Scarnato · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great children's book that I found in one of the shops on the Ocean City boardwalk. Lots of animal, ocean, and other nature scenes. Leo really loves the large, colorful pictures. It tells the story of William Beebe, a naturalist who set out to explore the world of animals and nature in the late 1800's-early 1900's.

[Keri Rohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

This biography is great for kids in grades 3-5. I really enjoyed reading the biography of William Beebe. I find his work very fascinating. The end of the book has more information about some of the sea creatures that Beebe encountered and about the Bathysphere. I think that kids would find this book fun to read and interesting as well.

[Cynthia Varady · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never head of the naturalist-explorer William Beebe, but his contributions to our understanding of the oceans and his pioneering spirit of innovation with both technology and field research are not to be overlooked. His lasting impact on ecology and preservation is still felt today and his legacy of inspiring youth to seek their passion in nature endures.

[J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful biography in (almost*) every way. A great subject matter, well told, with a lot of great details, and accompanied with good illustration.

* Okay... except one. There's one page that really irked me, and I adjusted a bit on the go as I read it aloud. I added a few words to "Large parts of the earth's land, seas, and skies were still unexplored..."

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gorgeous illustrations accompany a nice scientist biography

[Cindi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool book. Learned a lot. ^_^

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal!! Great biography

[Maria Hrickova · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.4

[Katie Luckraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young William Beebe’s love of nature and animals inspired him to venture deeper into the outdoors, leading him to explore dense jungles, volcanic islands, even the depths of the ocean. A pioneer in deep-sea exploration, Beebe and engineers eventually developed a deep diving vessel called the Bathysphere. This contraption allowed them to descend deeper into the sea than any human had gone before, leading to the development of new area of scientific research. Over the course of his life, Beebe wrote books and presented lectures advocating for conservation of the wilderness and endangered animal species.
The cover of this book is what initially caught my eye. The look of amazement on the man’s face as he peers out the tiny window of what looks like some sort of submarine, at a rather large squid gliding by. What kid wouldn’t be intrigued? This book would be very suitable for middle level grades. Students could practice making timelines, taking measurements, researching ecosystems, the environment, and current world issues. Regarding reading, this book could be used to synthesize, compare and contrast (perhaps between William Beebe and another naturalist), study new vocabulary, as well as writing tasks.

[Nielson · Rating 4 out of 5]

"To be a naturalist is better than to be a king." That was
William Beebe's belief throughout his whole life. Fascinated
by nature from a young age, Will set out to explore
unchartered territory when it came to studying the world
around him. He began by studying birds, but his focus in life
later changed to studying the creatures and animals of the
ocean. He and his fried, Otis Barton, created a Bathyspere,
which was an ocean-diving vessel that could be lowered to
great depths. Still later he focused on the conservation of
animals and the earth and during his latest years, he
returned to studying his first passion, birds. This is a great
book to use in conjunction with a science lesson as there
are many terms that could be discussed such as naturalist,
taxidermy, and ecology. The illustrations were bright,
vivid, and detailed. I think students would enjoy learning
about this man who was a pioneer in science exploration.

[Njblack · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book about the life of William Beebe who was a naturalist and explorer is written simply and easy to understand. I would recomend this book for an audience of 1st grade up to about 3rd grade. The pictures are bright and colorful which add to the appeal of the story about his life from childhood to adulthood and his accoplishments. This book could easily be used to write a short report about a person or about nature and how to document your findings. It could also be used in a storytime setting to begin a discussion about nature or famous people who have made contributions to natural discoveries in the world.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Beebe seems to have lived the life that I wanted as I was growing. To some degree, he lived the life that I want to live still. This was a great book about an important figure in the history of ecology, and yet he would probably be relagated to obscurity were it not for brilliant work like this. I really think that this is an exceptional children's biography and both the text and illustrations were very well done. I'd love to see some other work from David Sheldon as it seems that he has quite a gift to share with the rest of us.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colorful illustrations by author/illustrator David Sheldon spice up the biography of naturalist and explorer William Beebe, a pioneer in the science of ecology and promoter of saving the wilderness and endangered animal species. Details about the bathysphere design and Beebe's exciting ocean-testing experiences which led to discoveries of undersea creatures. Back matter includes more info about Beebe's life work, a Glossary, and Resources

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rich, saturated colors Sheldon's painting illustrate the areas Beebe explored: rural New Jersey as a youth, the rainforest of South American, the Galapagos, and the hidden world under the surface of the sea. Beebe invented the Bathysphere to allow him to observe animals of the deep in their own habitat. One for budding naturalists.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kind of children's non-fiction I love (and let's face it, the kind of non-fiction I want to read.) I can't believe I didn't know about William Beebe. After reading about all he did I think his name should be as well known as Audobon, Goodall, and Darwin. A true adventurer and pioneer in the sciences of nature and ecology.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Beebe is curious about the natural world. He studies wildlife in locations as far away as Southeast Asia, observing animals in their own environment. With an engineer, he develops the bathysphere to explore the deep ocean. For fans of Jacques Cousteau, Rachel Carson or Jane Goodall.

[Stephanie Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

William Beebe was an American naturalist and explorer. He studied animals both on land and deep in the ocean. Animal life and exploration could be introduced with this book.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring book for all Diego lovers.

[Hillvan]

AD940L

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine book that provides additional information about William Beebe's life. Bought to supplement The newer, and much better illustrated, Otis & Will Discover the Deep.