Who's afraid of the light by Anna McGregor

A visually stunning look at some of the creatures that inhabit the dark reaches of the ocean will encourage younger readers to think outside the square, seeing animals that live all their lives in a world without light as we know it.

When the narrator goes into the deep dark ocean she comes across a pair of eyes, Fergus, and asks what sort of creature he is. He scuttles off when a light appears, and the narrator sees an approaching anglerfish, the light on her head a lure for other fish to come by and be eaten. When she leaves, Fergus reappears but swims quickly away when a spook fish appears. This one has a different light around its eyes, ready for any passing interested food. When Fergus reappears he is startled to see two vampire squid, and he disappears again. All the while the narrator's asking what sort of creature Fergus is and the last page shows us all.

A funny, involving look at some of the life which can be found deep down in the oceans, readers will love the information about these nasty creatures, and laugh out loud at the last page where a surprise is in store. 

Through the encounter with the fish, anglerfish, spook fish and vampire squid and Fergus, the reader is given snippets of information about how animals survive at such depths. We also learn about what they feed on and why some have lights and others don’t.

The stunning illustrations set against black, reinforce the feeling of being in the depths of the ocean where some fish can see a little. A double page at the end of the book gives more information about this array of fish and the scientists who go down to look at them. And do check out the talking seagulls in the endpapers.

Themes: Non fiction, Picture book, STEM, Oceans, Fish.

Fran Knight