The Dark!: Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves

by Lindsey Leigh, Lindsey Leigh (Illustrator)

Overview

Crawl into the deepest corners of caves across the world and learn about the wonderfully weird creatures that live their lives in the dark!

Did you know that some creatures that live in the dark have adapted to have no eyes? Or that some dark dwellers have extra long antennae so they can feel their way around their homes? Have you ever seen a troglobite? There many different types of troglobites including the fearless waterfall-climbing cave fish, the mutant Mexican tetra, and the mystifying olm.

Author and illustrator Lindsey Leigh introduces young readers to some of the weirdest and creepiest critters that thrive in the darkest corners of our planet in her uniquely funny and graphic style. This fact-filled book reveals the different ways that creatures of the dark have adapted to thrive in their environments, including slow movement and loss of pigment in their bodies to blend in with their surroundings. Readers will get to know aquatic cave leeches, tailless whip scorpions, cave beetles, the devil’s hole pupfish, worms, salamanders, and all kinds of bats.

Praise for Lindsey Leigh's The Deep!
“A buoyant undersea venture. Leigh draws her teeming wildlife in accurate detail.”--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798217050482
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/09/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	96
File size:	36 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Lindsey Leigh grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, fascinated by the Smithsonian museums and the Baltimore Aquarium. Her passion for communicating scientific ideas eventually led her to join the Guild of Natural Scientific Illustrators. She has since completed a Scientific Illustration internship with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and has created educational comics for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Tech, and the magazine BBC Focus. She is the author of The Deep! (Penguin Workshop).

Editorial Reviews

07/01/2024

Gr 3–7—Strap on your headlamp and dive into The Dark to learn about caves and the animals that live in them. With a clear introduction of what a cave is, this well-organized, nonfiction comic book digs into the types of animals that call caves home, full- and part-time. Creepy crawlies that kids love are explored, including threatened and endangered species such as salamanders, various fish, bats, and all sorts of insects—even humans are covered! The author illuminates various animal adaptations in interesting ways that will capture readers' attentions. Also highlighted are unique caves of the world, the importance of caves to humans throughout history, and cave conservation. The author did a wonderful job creating eye-catching, clear cartoon illustrations with text placed thoughtfully on the page to highlight the fascinating animals. Pronunciation guides and definitions throughout clarify new ideas and vocabulary. Animals are given quirky personalities with conversation bubbles, adding humor to keep readers interested. VERDICT With its compelling layout and interesting facts, this is an engaging book.—Melisa Bailey

School Library Journal

★ 2024-05-17
Leigh follows up The Deep! (2023)—a dive into undersea life—with a celebration of cave-dwelling creatures.

This work of graphic nonfiction starts with a brief, easily digestible introduction to caves before moving on to its true focus: the animal inhabitants. The longest section is devoted to the troglobites, full-time cave dwellers that have adapted to a life of total darkness; other sections cover the troglophiles, which spend at least part of their life cycles in caves, and the trogloxenes, such as bats and bears, that just show up for visits. Double-page spreads explore selected cave animals, offering fascinating tidbits—such as the difference between an olm and an axolotl—sure to tempt youngsters into learning more about their favorite critters. Leigh’s strong sense of humor is on display throughout, from plainly stated facts about animals’ bodily excretions to moments where the creatures—occasionally anthropomorphized but always accurately depicted—offer quirky commentary through speech bubbles. Although she occasionally mentions how these creatures can benefit people (for instance, studying the Mexican tetra, a fish with high blood sugar, might help us treat diabetes), for the most part, she encourages readers to love these places and species for their own sake. Final sections spotlight cool caves around the world (like Vietnam’s Son Doong cave, which is so big that it contains a rainforest in it), humanity’s own history with caves, and the dangers humans pose to such environments.

As factually grounded as it is irresistibly fun. (index) (Graphic nonfiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews