Lifelong naturalist William Beebe is most famous for his record-breaking deep-sea dive. In 1934, he and partner Otis Barton descended 3,028 feet into the unexplored depths of the ocean in a bathysphere, invented for the purpose. This colorful introduction to Beebe's life for younger readers opens with his parent's encouragement of his interests in the natural world and his early work as a curator and collector of birds before he developed the idea of observing animals in their native habitat and began to focus on undersea life. Sheldon's lush double-page paintings, in acrylic, gouache and India ink, show young Will wurrounded by animals, alive and stuffed, and the older man at work in a variety of settings. They offer some gentle humor--as when explorer Beebe's hat blows off, revealing his balding head--and show Beebe aging gracefully. Although the dive is the focal point of the story, the author tracks this early ecologist's entire career. Backmatter includes further information, quotations from Beebe's writings, and a glossary and bibliography. A fine offering for would-be explorers.

Had I ever heard of William Beebe before picking up this book? Nope. Do I want to know more about this really cool guy? Heck yes! Hopefully your kids will too!

Into the Deep: The Life of Naturalist and Explorer William Beebe, is written and illustrated by David Sheldon, and chronicles the life of a man, that was so interested in nature and the world as a whole, he devoted his entire life to exploring it, from the Galapagos Islands, to undiscovered lands in Mexico, and down into the depths of the ocean.

What started as a simple nature hobby, truly blossomed into a life-long passion to learn more about our world. Beebe and a business partner even invented the Bathysphere, a deep-sea diving vessel that would allow them to travel more than 525 feet below the ocean's surface. Quite a feat for 1928!

Told in a story format, children can easily read and learn about this really cool guy, without being bogged down with facts, figures, and timelines, all of which often turn some kids off of non-fiction reading. There is a "Diving Deeper into the Story" section at the back of the book, along with some quotes, a glossary, and additional resources.

Having books in our libraries that are on individuals or topics that aren't necessarily "common" is a great way to get children to expand their knowledge base (and us adults too!). I had never heard of Beebe before reading this book, as I'm sure many children haven't either, and I'm ready to learn more.

A great selection for libraries or for homeschool use.

David Sheldon brings the excitement of being a naturalist and explorer to life for readers as he portrays the highlights from the life and times of explorer William Beebe. This large and beautifully illustrated book is ideal for sharing aloud or for a center in which students can explore further.

This story details the life of this explorer and naturalist—from his childhood years when he observed animals in New Jersey and became interested in birds, to his young adult years when he served as the assistant curator of birds at the New York Zoological Park, to his years of global travel when he continued to observe and learn about animals. The later half of the story delves into Beebe’s fascination with the underwater animals of the oceans and seas. His interest in this area allowed him to team up with Otis Barton, who designed the bathysphere, which was tested by the pair over several attempts. Eventually Beebe and Barton, inside of the bathysphere, went deeper than anyone had been before (–3,208 feet, where they encountered deep-ocean creatures for the first time ever in their natural setting).

Among other notable features of this book are the illustrations that bring the text to life. Colorful, double-page drawings will help readers feel like they are part of the experiences in which Beebe was engaged. Also included are endnotes on the bathysphere, quotes Beebe made during his explorations, a glossary, and a list of additional resources. This book provides a realistic look into the explorations made by a single man and will help students see Science in the Human Perspective, as suggested in the National Science Education Standards.

Sheldon presents Beebe—whose wide-ranging interest in the natural world led him from curatorial duties at the New York Zoological Park (aka the Bronx Zoo), to record-breaking deep dives in the armored bathysphere, and to becoming later in life a strong proponent for conservation—as a dedicated scientist who was also a popular hero during the Great Depression, when many were in search of heroes. Why is Beebe still worth knowing? Because, the author argues, his books are still read (occasionally), he exerted a strong and continuing influence on the environmental movement, and, as depicted in staid but carefully detailed acrylics, he explored several still-mysterious and exotic reaches of our world. The author closes his short profile with a more detailed recap, a page of memorable quotes (“To be a naturalist is better than to be a king.”), and a short resource list.

Into the Deep presents the life of naturalist and early conservationist William Beebe (1877-1962). As a child Beebe taught himslef taxidermy, and his room came to resemble a small natural history museum. When he grew up he traveled the world seeking rare species. Over time he realized that studying animals in their natural habitat was preferable to bringing animals back to museums and zoos, and he pioneered the field of ecology. On a trip to the Galapagos Islands, where he hoped to continue Darwin's studies, Beebe tried "helmet diving" and was amazed at the rich diversity of underwater life. Beebe teamed up with engineer Otis Barton to invent a diving vessel, the bathysphere, and thus started the science of deep-sea exploration. Painterly illustrations in acrylic, gouache, and ink reflect the richness of the natural world, from the brilliant primary colors of birds, insects, and animals in the jungles in Guyana to the inky blue-black darkenss and eerie phosphorescence of the ocean depths. Author's notes, quotations from Beebe, glossary, and resource list round out this attractive 48-page picture book.

For those of you who have never heard of William Beebe, you may think this really fine, full-color book is straight out of science fiction. But you will have fun reading this true story of Beebe, who was a world-famous naturalist and explorer. You may even decide you want to someday be an underwater explorer and see the unbelievable sea creatures Beebe found in his rather makeshift "bath-tub." Let's read on.

William Beebe was interested in many things. It will make your life much more interesting if you allow yourself to study a lot of things, such as this man did. He wrote about the things of the jungle, the deep depths of the sea and about things he found in his own backyard, such as birds, leaves, flowers and trees.

Beebe was born in 1877 in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was an only child whose parents adored him and encouraged him to notice things in nature around him. There are full pages of colorful adventures that young Beebe had when he moved with his family to New Jersey. He spent every moment exploring the hills and streams right in his own backyard. He trained himself to walk slowly and very quietly through the woods to see animals, and by the time he was 12 years old, he was an expert animal tracker.

Beebe's parents were interested in the great outdoors and they would take young Beebe to the top of the hills to point out the migrating birds. The annual migration count of migrating birds was first started by the Audubon Society and continues to this day. The Audubon Society is active right here in your hometown and would be happy to help young people or adults begin an active interest in the birds that Beebe learned about. Birds fascinated young Beebe, and he participated in the migration counts all his life.

One summer day, young Beebe's father found a baby owl that had fallen out of its nest. There were no parent owls around, so Father Beebe brought it home to his son. Young Beebe named the owl Moses and wherever he went, the owl went with him, perched on his shoulder. The boy's room soon began to look like a small natural history museum, for he had taught himself taxidermy and displayed his stuffed birds, fish and snakes. He was encouraged by his parents to keep a notebook with his collections noted.

He wrote in the journal one day, "To be a naturalist is better than to be a king."

By the time young Beebe was 18, his passion had become his profession and he began to write articles that appeared in magazines and newspapers. Then something wonderful happened. W.T. Hornaday, director of the New York Zoological Park, asked Beebe to be the assistant curator of birds. His responsibility was to care for the park's birds and to find new specimens for the zoo. Beebe was delighted! He was actually getting paid to do what he loved to do best and what he had done since he was a little boy.

Boys and girls reading about William Beebe will soon discover that the world was very different in his day than it is now and many animals had not yet been discovered. The New York Zoological Society sent Beebe all over the world on scientific expeditions because they knew he would find some interesting new animals and birds for the zoo. People all over the world began to read the articles he wrote about Southeast Asia, and the jungles of Africa and Mexico. Then his life changed again. A very rich man read about Beebe's adventures and he gave him the use of a large steamship called the Arcturus, which came with its own research laboratory. Beebee was overwhelmed with gratitude!

In his newly equipped steamship, he traveled to the Galapagos Islands, and there he continued to study the island's unusual and weird animals and especially the marine iguanas. He was told by the natives that if he went underwater he would discover an entire new world of creatures. Always one for new adventure he put on a diving helmet and went below the sea for the very first time. He was overwhelmed.

Beebe told his assistants he was going to visit the deep sea and study the creatures in their own environment. No one had ever done this! And you know what he did? He rigged up a kind of bathtub, but it seeped water and he nearly drowned. So he worked night and day and invented a new kind of deep-sea diving vessel and called it a bathysphere.

On Aug. 15, 1934, Beebe descended down into the ocean - a half mile, which is 2,640 feet - down-down-down as far as the cable would reach - for a record-breaking 3,028! It was dark, eerie, and as if he were in outer space. Then what happened?

You will find out when you read this fascinating new book, and I hope you will!

People have long been entertained and educated by naturalists and explorers. Just look at the popularity of wildlife television series’ such as “Wild Kingdom” or the “Crocodile Hunter,” hosted by the late Steve Irwin. The shows combine a sense of adventure along with fast paced action to educate as well as entertain. Before the advent of television, scientists and adventurers wrote books or broadcast on the radio to accomplish the same thing. William Beebe was the crocodile hunter of his time, writing popular books and broadcasting live radio from one of his deep ocean bathysphere dives. To study the ocean and its inhabitants, Beebe enlisted the help of Otis Barton to design the pioneering bathysphere and dive deeper than anyone had before.

Into the Deep is an engaging account of Beebe’s lifelong study of nature, and his endless curiosity. Author-artist David Sheldon’s drawings accurately depict the bathysphere as well as the details of many of the creatures studied by William Beebe. At $7.95, this richly illustrated paperback is a bargain, and children in the target age group of 5-8 years will find this adventure story highly entertaining while learning something at the same time.

Considered the father of ecology and a member of the first crew to travel deep into the sea in a Bathysphere, Beebe was, at the time of his live radio broadcast from beneath the sea in 1932, a household name. Focusing on his childhood activities, his success as a very young man, and his best-known achievements, Sheldon keeps the book brief and fast moving. India ink gives a period feel the the large, bright illustrations. Smiling at an opossum in a nearby branch or watching with trepidation as a giant, unknown sea creature passes by the window of his Bathysphere, Beebe is always shown in the thick of exploration of the natural world. Helpful end matter includes an author's note with a cutaway view of the Bathysphere and a page of intruiging quotes from Beebe. A fine book for any aspiring scientist, this is a natural selection for those who have enjoyed Kathryn Lasky's One Beetle Too Many: The Extraordinary Adventures or Charles Darwin (Candlewick, 2009), Rosalyn Schanzer's What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World (National Geographic, 2008), and Alic B. McGinty's Darwin (Houghton, 2009).

[F]or an unusual real world hero to admire, readers should look no further than Into the Deep: The Life of Naturalist and Explorer William Beebe by David Sheldon. From the title page spread, a full color look at the desk of a person in love with nature, including a feather, bird nest, journal and magnifying glass, this is a book to lose yourself in. Beebe's life was awesome—just flat out awesome—and it is recounted here from an idyllic childhood in late 19th century New Jersey (where his parents moved from New York City to encourage his love of nature) that included animal collecting, plant and rock collections and the development of his very own natural history museum in his bedroom. He followed this early love of animals to a job at the New York Zoological Park, scientific expeditions around the world and pursuit of what would become the field of scientific ecology (or studying animals in the field).

Sheldon recounts all of this while providing action-packed color illustrations. He brings William Beebe alive for readers and Beebe was so wicked cool that you never want to leave him behind. The more you read, the cooler he gets—he even started deep sea diving and eventually, with Otis Barton, designed the bathysphere which took the two men a half mile down the Atlantic Ocean in 1934—shattering all previous records. They saw things they could barely comprehend—creatures no one had ever seen before. It was the ultimate chapter in a life dedicated to learning and doing and appreciating all that nature had to offer.

Will Beebe wanted to see the world and know it and then he set out through conservation efforts to save it. He was, for sure, a real American hero and now in this moving and passionate text (and illustrations), David Sheldon gives his story to young readers who are the most likely to embrace it. How could you not want a life like his? How could you not admire what he accomplished? He was an excellent choice for a children's biography and with the additional end notes and bibliography Into the Deep would be a solid choice for older readers as well; it will get them interested just enough to want to literally dive in and take the trip of a lifetime.

Thanks Mr. Sheldon—Into the Deep is a true gift.

William Beebe, a popular naturalist and author, loved all types of wildlife from an early age and trained himself in animal observation, taxidermy, insect mounting, and cataloging. Before he graduated from college he had already published articles in professional outlets and had gotten hired as the assistant curator of ornithology at the New York Zoological Park. Over the years, his unconventional approach to observing animals in their natural habitat and his courageous efforts to discover new species in remote regions generated a growing audience for his publications and public talks.

In the late 1920s, Beebe partnered with an engineering student named Otis Brown to invent the Bathysphere, a spherical diving vessel made of thick steel that enabled deep-sea exploration at depths hitherto unimagined. Their observations of magnificent sea creatures provided fodder for entertaining radio broadcasts and motivated people to start caring more about the environment.

This biography gets high marks for its informative and crisp writing style. Children will be especially intrigued by the Bathysphere, a somewhat daunting and mysterious-looking contraption that involved quite a bit of danger as well. The text seamlessly weaves some key concepts in economics, including innovation and human resources, into the account of Beebe's scientific contributions. The colorful and detailed illustrations work well to engage young learners.