Whale Fall: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem

by Melissa Stewart (Author) Rob Dunlavey (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade
This fascinating nonfiction picture book filled with stunning illustrations details the end of life for a whale, also known as a whale fall, when its body sinks to the ocean floor and becomes an energy-rich food source for organisms living in the deep sea.

When a whale dies, its massive body silently sinks down, down, through the inky darkness, finally coming to rest on the silty seafloor. For the whale, it's the end of a 70-year-long life. But for a little-known community of deep-sea dwellers, it's a new beginning. First come the hungry hagfish, which can smell the whale from miles around. Then the sleeper sharks begin their prowl, feasting on skin and blubber. After about six months, the meat is gone. Year after year, decade after decade, the whale nourishes all kinds of organisms from zombie worms to squat lobsters to deep-sea microbes.

This completely fascinating real-life phenomenon is brought to vivid and poetic life by nonfiction master Melissa Stewart and acclaimed illustrator Rob Dunlavey.
Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus Reviews

An intriguing and effective look at an unfamiliar world, well suited for reading aloud.

Whale fall is a great book

It helps me learn a lot of stuff and teaches me about whales. Reading it makes me happy and I love whales. When I read it I can see what it is talking about and I can learn from it. Come and read with me it is fun the book is Whale fall.

Melissa Stewart
Melissa Stewart has written more than 180 science books for children, including the ALA Notable Children's Book Feathers: Not Just for Flying and the SCBWI Golden Kite Honor title Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs. She co-authored 5 Kinds of Nonfiction: Enriching Reading and Writing Instruction with Children's Books and edited the anthology Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep: 50 Award-Winning Authors Reveal the Secret of Engaging Writing. Melissa maintains the award-winning blog Celebrate Science and serves on the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators board of advisors.

Amy Hevron draws inspiration from wildlife, nature, and travel. She has been illustrating and exhibiting her unique acrylic paintings on wood since 2005. Amy is the illustrator of picture books Trevor by Jim Averbeck, Moon Babies by Karen Jameson, Dust Bunny Wants a Friend (which she also wrote), and the upcoming The Tide Pool Waits by Candace Fleming. Prior to focusing on illustration, Amy worked as an art director and designer at design firms and game companies.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780593380604
Lexile Measure
1060
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Random House Studio
Publication date
March 20, 2023
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF051100 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Environmental Science & Ecosystems
JNF003150 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Marine Life
JNF037070 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Earth Sciences - Water (Oceans, Lakes, Etc.)
Library of Congress categories
-

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