In a beautiful, thoughtfully designed book, author/artist Steve Jenkins plunges readers miles below the ocean’s surface to the depths of discovery. In the introduction, he explains that while water covers more than two thirds of the earth’s surface, “more humans have walked on the moon than have visited the deepest spot in the sea.” Each two-page spread defines and explores a specific zone on the ocean’s scale of depth. A consistent vertical marker on the right-hand side orients readers to the distance from the surface (in feet and meters) and temperature for each zone. Realistic torn paper illustrations of marine life illuminate locations such as the sunlit zone, the twilight zone, and the dark zone. As each spread descends deeper and deeper, clear scientific language and witty, vivid descriptions narrate the downward journey. Additional information about the animals and helpful diagrams relating size and scale conclude this exceptional work. (Ages 7–11)