Whale Fall Café

March 1, 2021

Gr 3-5-Whales can live for a century in the wild, but what happens next? Join Dr. Fish in their submersible to explore a "whale fall," the term used to describe a whale carcass, as it drifts to the ocean floor and supports diverse life forms for decades. Readers learn about the phases of whale decomposition, as the body transforms from a meal for sharks and barracudas near the ocean's surface into sedimentary food for microorganisms and invertebrates. The text explains that thousand-year-old whale bones have been found encrusted with thriving anemones. Specialized scientific information ("extremophiles," "osedax," "chemoautotrophic bacteria," etc.) is presented in a way that will make sense to readers. However, the text paired with gentle illustrations that soften the reality of a whale's death (hagfish rendered in pinks and purples; a whale pictured upside down with its eyes shut) seems geared for a younger audience and makes it hard to visualize what a true whale fall, and the scavengers and specialists who make it their home, look like in the wild. Back matter includes photographs and a glossary. This unique title joins the ranks of nonfiction works about unpleasant animals, including Pink Is for Blobfish and What Do They Do with All That Poo? VERDICT A second purchase, but one that will satisfy readers interested in more esoteric nonfiction topics.-Amy Fellows, Multnomah Cty. Lib., OR

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April 1, 2021
Grades 2-4 A fish in both natty attire and a heavy-duty submersible invites readers on a tour of the deepest, darkest ocean depths where some denizens glow, some have transparent heads, and many live on "whale falls." What are those, you ask? When a whale dies, its body sinks and becomes dinner for swarms of opportunistic feeders from hagfish and ravenous sleeper sharks to zombie worms and chemoautotrophic bacteria. The skeletal remains of this "gift that keeps on giving" can last for centuries, providing support for colonies of coral and sea anemones. Tavis brightens his setting's inky depths with glowing, brightly hued, and proficiently rendered images of voracious sea creatures converging on their benthic banquet. Along with notes for a select photo gallery of caf� customers, Sewell closes with a report on the rare discovery of one 1987 fall, plus engaging profiles of two marine biologists she tapped as consultants. A revealing glimpse of a rarely studied link in the oceanic food chain, just right for dishing up with Kenneth Mallory's Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano (2006).

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