SCIENCE COMICS: DEEP-SEA CREATURES is another great entry in the SCIENCE COMICS series. Information about a variety of creatures living in the deepest waters is woven into a fun plot about a father and son seahorse pair who embark on a deep-sea tour featuring some of the scariest sea monster movie stars known to ocean viewers. The unique features of squids, whales, fish, and many other deep-sea dwellers and how they are used to survive are brought to light throughout the course of the book. Information is detailed, but not overwhelming. The comic format will help the book appeal to readers who might not otherwise pick up a nonfiction text about the topic. Fun artwork, fascinating content, and humor will make this a popular title with a variety of elementary readers.

Science comics are such a popular choice in my classroom. My students love these books and are always so excited when the next title is released. This one is especially well done, and hooked some hesitant readers because of the cool topic! Deep sea creatures and their habitat are almost as mysterious as the expanse of our universe!

There was so much interesting information here, and the dialogue was so fun. My favorite parts were how wildly different the sea creatures were and the fantastic description of the underwater environment -- so inhospitable to humans but teeming with life! This is a great book for home or school.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

An engaging and informative graphic novel about the deep-sea.
There is a narrative and characterisation which are gripping enough.
I enjoyed the facts and how they were incorporated into the story and introduced this book to my child and their best friend.
They liked the visuals, however I would have preferred some more details in the artwork. Yet, I must admit, this style allows for focusing more on the acquiring of information.
Great book for 7 and up year olds who love graphic novels, comics and the sea.
Also a good to have book for school libraries.
Even middle graders can benefit from and enjoy this book.

I would use this in my classroom for my sea creature fanatics. It's an informative story along with some humor.

The creatures at the deepest levels of the sea have unprecedented biological properties, exhibit strange behaviors, and tend to look really cool. Any edutainment book that has them as a subject has a downhill run in trying to make them interesting. This is why it’s surprising to see such a robust narrative framework on this book. The journey though the depths of the sea is framed as a horror-movie themed submarine tour being taken by a seahorse dad unwinding after several weeks of pregnancy and his newborn son. We have subplots about family bonding and rival tour companies, vignettes about the deep-sea creatures’ feelings as guided tour actors, and some apologias for kids being allowed to watch horror movies and the validity of edutainment over pure entertainment.

The plot is broadly signaled yet still robust enough to carry the dense infodumps quite well, with the multiple subplot threads keeping it moving in the later sections, though the earliest sections still feels rather text-dense. The art is bright and confident, though may perhaps seem a bit bland when illustrating a subject matter involving so much sinuous twisting, bioluminescence, and semi-translucent flesh.

A substantive if not masterful plot woven around an easy-to-love subject matter, Deep-Sea Creatures: Adapting to the Abyss adds up to a very nice work of edutainment. And I for one hope the cheerful embrace of its edutainment nature will be picked up and imitated by future creators.

This book was so cute! I got this and read it with my 8 year old. He loved the pictures and all the creatures. The book also had a lot of really good information and was very educational. He loves the ocean and learning, so this book was perfect for him. He’s really good at reading, but tends to not find books that interest him. This book kept his interest and the comic aspect made it fun for him. I will definitely be looking for more of these books for him.

I would recommend this book to any student who is interested in the ocean or marine life. The comic book format is appealing to kids. The story line is funny but also draws you in. Kids might not even realizing how much they’re learning while reading.

From the popular nonfiction graphic novel series comes this undersea adventure into the depths that continue to remain a mystery to scientists. This book begins with a short story of a seahorse family, where one of the little seahorses (named Ryder) stays behind with his father because he is scared of the big ocean ahead of him. His father, with the help of other sea creatures met along the way, illustrates what the ocean is like beyond their home, focusing specifically on what lurks beneath in dark waters. This graphic novel highlights different creatures that have adapted to little light, intense water pressure and food constraints: giant isopods, colossal squids, lampreys, anglerfish, and more. This comic explores where these creatures originated, and how they came to adapt to survive in the world of the deep sea.
This graphic novel (and the series it belongs to) takes scientific concepts that kids are interested in and creates an informative novel in an appealing format. Graphic novels are an incredible way for kids to read and build multiple literacies, and these comic books add to that by using informational facts. This particular graphic novel has a fun narrator, with little but-ins and comments that are made to make kids laugh, with illustrations that are eye-catching. Kids would absolutely be enticed to pick this book up, because of the cover and the hyper-specific content focus.
I love this series of graphic novels, and this newest addition is no different. These could be used in a variety of ways for upper elementary students: as an informational text for fact finding, as an example of graphic novel formatting highlighting elements like text bubbles, panes, and the integration of nonfiction with these elements, or as a simple read for fun.

This Deep-Sea Creatures comic book was really appreciate by my son who LOVES all things Marine Biology. I love that Mike Lawrence made it a fun and exciting read. I’m so thankful that there are so many options for kids who struggle with reading- comics has been a break through for that!

Another hit in the Science Comics series, "Deep-Sea Creatures: Adapting to the Abyss" has plenty of fun and slightly spooky facts for kids to, pardon the pun, <i>dive</i> into. Picture-wise, Mike Lawrence strikes a cartoony balance for his main protagonists, with humanesque eyes and expressions for the seahorses like Charlie and Ryder, then skews more to the realistic proportions for the animals they encounter on their "edutainment" tour. I think it's a perfect balance between the more realistic illustrations of Joe Flood in the Science Comics entries about sharks and dinosaurs, but more grounded than the Andy Hirsch style you see in dogs and cats, where the animals are practically Disney-fied. Since the subject matter straddles more fearsome animals that are lesser known, and leans into the idea that these creatures look "scary," I think this is the best remedy for a child friendly introduction to them in a way that is thrilling but not nightmare inducing. The fact that all these terrifying creatures in the plot are friendly (with the exception of a bullying lamprey who acts as a minion to the competition) is another point that the graphic novel is seeking to be accessible to children who may show trepidation about looking at photo realistic pictures of a vampire squid or anglerfish.

The writing is also great in providing a plot and characters to the graphic novel. Some Science Comics lean a little heavy on doling out information, but this one has an entertaining framework of a seahorse on his day off just after he gave birth to a litter of seahorse babies, when one of his kids tags along to "Larry's Fearsome Fish of Finland" vacation. The father, Charlie, and his son, Ryder, have small character arcs as Ryder is afraid to go out on his own, since he's only twenty minutes old, and Charlie confides in him that seeing scary sea monster films helps him overcome his own fears. This way, readers are given incentive to see Ryder explore and interact with the many sea creatures on the tour, as learning about them helps give him confidence. It also provides a bit of tension as Larry the sarcastic fringehead and tour guide is struggling with business, and you want to see his tour succeed (and his many friends get raises!) against the more ruthless Phil. Who is another sarcastic fringehead and takes the sarcasm the extra mile.

The end of the graphic novel includes an audition reel, sort of like an end credits sting, including the animals they couldn't find a reason to fit into the story. I think it's a cute ending, but the original one where Ryder's recommendation for "edutainment tours" helps Larry keep his business literally afloat is the stronger end. Also shout out to the "Alien" movie reference/Joseph Conrad deep sea tale by calling Larry's ship the Nostromo. A really neat hidden gem for the adult readers who also enjoy Science Comics.

Deep-Sea Creatures is a fun story that many will enjoy. It is very informative; readers will get exposure to things in the deep that they probably never encountered before in an enjoyable story exploring the deep-sea.

A fun little story that gives children a look at the weird but wonderful creatures of the deep. Children will love the story and seeing all the cool creatures. Even I learned a lot that I didn't know before. I did love the horror movie pun names as well.

Another wonderful installment in the Science Comics series. These books are always some of my favorite nonfiction graphics! "Edu-tainment" at its finest!

This installment hasan engaging storyline, a world of deep sea creatures to explore, and just the right amount of humor sprinkled throughout. A must buy for elementary libraries!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Lots and lots of information. Science Comics are some of my favorite text. It is tons of scientific information that doesn't dumb down the vocabulary, but at the same time it is completely accessible for all readers.

4 stars

This one is AWESOME! Elementary students will absolutely devour this title. If you're a teacher, librarian, or parent whose child enjoys spooky things but you're not ready to throw them into the world of horror this one is perfect. It explores all of the deep sea creatures and gives some good spookiness without any violence. I love that it's written as a story of fish on a deep sea creature tour and yet weaves in engaging facts about each creature. This is one of those books that shows us how FUN non-fiction can be. Though there are definitely parts that are over his head, my almost 6-year-old does not want to stop reading this at night and immediately asks for more. I highly recommend adding it to any public library collection, elementary classroom or school library, or as a gift to a science, spooky, or sea-loving kiddo!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for the eARC!

First off, I am a big fan of the Science Comics series so I was absolutely thrilled to be able to review this copy of their newest one about deep-sea creatures. This one follows a seahorse and his son as they go on a chills and thrills edutainment tour of the deep. Not only do we learn so much about the deep and its creatures, but we also get a really good storyline about fear and how to be brave/face our fears especially our fears of the ocean. I loved learning about all the different creatures through the fun storyline and engaging illustrations! Readers will be sure to love this informative and fun graphic novel just as much as all the others in the series. Can't wait to add it to my school library in the Spring!

Educational comics are like gifts that keep giving! It's an opportunity to blend the art of a graphic novel with storytelling and a learning component. Science comics nails this combo with Deep-Sea Creatures. I love that it reads like a story but it's actually teaching you some things about deep sea life that you may not have known. Definitely recommend to readers of all ages!

Another amazing title from science comics. Deep Sea Creatures knocks learning out of the park as we follow a seahorse and his son on a edutainment tour of the deep ocean. There is a little bullying in the story, but it all resolves peacefully. The fabled scary creatures of the deep turn out to be real softies for the tour, but explained in good detail. There is a ton of information that the older kids will enjoy.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this awesome arc.

Thank you to Netgalley and First Second Books for the digital arc.
The Science Comics series never gets old, and this one continues the fun filled delivery of information. The reader journeys into the deep sea abyss with a father and son seahorse, and the captain who takes them on a tour of the deep sea in his boat. Along the way they learn about remarkable marine life and the adaptations they have made to their habitat. Story moves fast with dialogue bubbles and bright illustrations. The last pages describe the unique sea creatures that weren't in the story, and provides a satisfying conclusion.