School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-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 to 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 intriguing 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 of Charles Darwin (Candlewick, 2009), Rosalyn Schanzer's What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World (National Geographic, 2008), and Alice B. McGinty's Darwin (Houghton, 2009).-Ellen Heath, Easton Area Public Library, Easton, PA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
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.--Peters, John Copyright 2009 Booklist
