Otis and Will Discover the Deep

April 1, 2018
Otis Barton and Will Beebe, unified in their scientific curiosity about the deep sea, team up to innovate the 5,000-pound bathysphere, making history in 1930 with their initial 800-foot dive.The younger of the two, Barton sought out the famous explorer Beebe, correcting his prototypical calculations and sharing his own design. Rosenstock provides physical and logistical details, including how the two tall men fit themselves into a bolted-shut globe "the size of a tiny closet." The narrative focuses on the drama, delivering bursts of information throughout the descent, as the crew above periodically halts progress to check the bathysphere's cables. "300 feet. Stop. / 'We're leaking!' Otis cried. A trickle seeped through the hatch door....Would a tiny leak stop?" At 800 feet, a double gatefold opens to the bathysphere, dwarfed by the expanse of ink-blue sea, its searchlight illuminating thick schools of fish, squid, and jellies. (The choice of a horizontal instead of vertical gatefold composition sidesteps an opportunity to visually dramatize the dangerous descent.) Roy's multimedia paintings deliver plenty of contrasts, from boyhood scenes to events aboard the ship and undersea; endpapers depict creatures that dwell at several different ocean depths. Barton and Beebe are white; Roy depicts several male brown-skinned crew members and one white female research assistant.Rosenstock and Roy's collaboration celebrates scientific teamwork and an exciting first in deep-sea exploration. (author's note, illustrator's note, historical note, sources) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

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Starred review from April 9, 2018
Rosenstock (Dorothea’s Eyes) provides a vivid account of a history-making dive of the submersible Bathysphere. In 1930, eminent scientist William Beebe and Bathysphere designer Otis Barton descend more than 800 feet in a herky-jerky plunge that Roy (How to Be an Elephant) depicts with stylized, action-packed watercolors. Text placed vertically alongside pictures of the swinging sphere (the repeated phrase “down, down into the deep” steps down the page) pulls the reader further into inky blue-black darkness: “400 feet. Stop. Colder. Breathe in. 500 feet. Stop. Darker. Breathe out.” Spreads alternate between scenes of the two explorers working inside the cramped Bathysphere and exterior views of the descent. The tale of this perilous expedition climaxes in a spectacular gatefold showing the small searchlight-lit vehicle hanging amid myriad whitish-gray sea creatures, in an expanse of dark water. Archival photographs, a source list, and lengthy author and illustrator notes conclude this tribute to the power of curiosity, imagination, and ambition. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. Illustrator’s agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House.

March 1, 2018
Grades K-3 In the early twentieth century, the deep sea was still a total mystery, and it wasn't until Otis Barton and Will Beebe designed and dove in a bathysphere that anyone saw it firsthand. Rosenstock begins with the aquanauts' backgrounds?Barton's early designs for a diving helmet; Beebe's career as an explorer?before describing their daring design, a metal sphere just big enough to hold two people. With risks of leaks, explosions, and suffocation, the dive was dramatic on its own, but Rosenstock and Roy imbue the scenes with even more suspense. A repeated refrain of down, down, down and ever-darkening backgrounds punctuated by moments of gasp-inducing mishaps ratchet up the tension, but when they finally make it to 800 feet below the ocean surface, it's all worth it for the view of glowing, alien creatures, which Roy powerfully depicts in a swirling, dusky double-gatefold spread. Roy renders the bathysphere and the deep-sea creatures with precision, while the scientists have a pleasant vintage look. An author's note offers even more background on the pioneering scientists.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2018
Rosenstock presents a gripping account of Otis Barton and Will Beebe's historic 1930 journey into the deep ocean. Otis and Will were fascinated by ocean life as boys. As adults, they partner up, and with a team of scientists build the Bathysphere, a five-thousand-pound diving tank. Roy's fluid watercolors and dramatic perspectives capture the heart-pounding emotion of the scientists' dangerous journey eight hundred feet underwater. Bib.

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 1, 2018
In her gripping account of Otis Barton and Will Beebe's historic 1930 journey into the deep ocean, Rosenstock structures the text so that we first meet Otis and Will individually, as boys fascinated by ocean life and nature. Each was curious about what the deep ocean looked like, and each wanted to be the first to find out. As adults, they meet, shake hands, partner up, and with a team of scientists build the Bathysphere, a five-thousand-pound diving tank. As they climb inside for ?the first time, illustrator Roy's tight perspective is such that it's as if ?we're a third explorer in the cramped tank?and it's thrilling. Rosenstock's masterful pacing as the tank is submerged leaves us nearly breathless as we descend to eight hundred feet by increments of a hundred. This leads ?us to the book's biggest treat, an arresting wordless gatefold featuring the Bathysphere dwarfed in the deep by darkness and a wide array of sea creatures, followed at the page-turn by ?five simple yet goosebump-inducing words: Otis and Will knew first. Roy's fluid watercolors and dramatic perspectives capture the heart-pounding emotion of the scientists' dangerous journey. It's remarkable how much expression she gets out of a few quick, sketchy lines on both Barton's and Beebe's faces. A list of sources and closing notes from the author, the illustrator, and a former personal assistant to Beebe round out this magnificent adventure. julie danielson

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

March 1, 2018
In her gripping account of Otis Barton and Will Beebe's historic 1930 journey into the deep ocean, Rosenstock structures the text so that we first meet Otis and Will individually, as boys fascinated by ocean life and nature. Each was curious about what the deep ocean looked like, and each wanted to be the first to find out. As adults, they meet, shake hands, partner up, and with a team of scientists build the Bathysphere, a five-thousand-pound diving tank. As they climb inside for ?the first time, illustrator Roy's tight perspective is such that it's as if ?we're a third explorer in the cramped tank?and it's thrilling. Rosenstock's masterful pacing as the tank is submerged leaves us nearly breathless as we descend to eight hundred feet by increments of a hundred. This leads ?us to the book's biggest treat, an arresting wordless gatefold featuring the Bathysphere dwarfed in the deep by darkness and a wide array of sea creatures, followed at the page-turn by ?five simple yet goosebump-inducing words: Otis and Will knew first. Roy's fluid watercolors and dramatic perspectives capture the heart-pounding emotion of the scientists' dangerous journey. It's remarkable how much expression she gets out of a few quick, sketchy lines on both Barton's and Beebe's faces. A list of sources and closing notes from the author, the illustrator, and a former personal assistant to Beebe round out this magnificent adventure. julie danielson

(Copyright 2018 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from April 1, 2018

K-Gr 3-This is a true science adventure story of two men, Otis Barton and Will Beebe, who explored the depths of the ocean down to 800 feet in a self-designed round metal diving tank, "a hollow metal ball" called the bathysphere. Their goal was to answer the question: "What did the deep ocean look like?" Rosenstock's beautifully crafted prose captures the tension and the awe of the experience. ("Shadowy shapes swam past the window. Mysterious lights twinkled in the distance.") The text is expertly complemented by illustrations that detail what is happening, and capture the emotion and fascination of the men. As the bathysphere descends, readers see what is happening both inside and outside the craft. Inside, the two men do various tasks, while outside the vessel descends farther and farther into the darkening waters. A magnificent four-page foldout first shows Beebe and Barton peering out at a depth of 800 feet. When the fold is opened, readers witness the answer to their pressing question. Finally, the intriguing back matter includes an author's note, an illustrator's note, and a note from a former assistant of Will Beebe, as well as a number of interesting photographs. VERDICT An outstanding work of nonfiction for school and public libraries.-Myra Zarnowski, City University of New York

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