“When a whale dies, its massive body silently sinks down, down, through the inky darkness, finally coming to rest on the soft, silty seafloor.” An informational picture book describes the ecosystem that develops on and around the whale’s corpse in the roughly 50 years following its death. The whale’s body is “a bountiful gift,” a source of food for countless sea creatures, beginning with hagfish, sleeper sharks, and other fish that eat the whale’s blubber and flesh. Microscopic amphipods pick the bones bare while crabs, hooded shrimp, and pink sea pigs sift through sediment for scraps, all attracting other scavengers. When only the skeleton remains, zombie worms attach themselves to absorb fats and proteins; they break down the bones and are eventually replaced by bone-eating bacteria that produce gases that feed other microbes. Over five decades, the whale’s body supports the life of more than 500 other species. Deep-sea blues abound in the digitally enhanced watercolor and mixed media illustrations, which include enlarged spotlights of microscopic creatures. End matter includes an extensive bibliography and additional information about the species mentioned in the text. (Ages 4-9)

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.