Author(s): Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Zoleka Filander

Children's Reference

Join Meso, an intrepid underwater robot, on its very first expedition to explore the ocean twilight zone, and meet all the weird, wild, and wonderful creatures that live there! Meet Meso, an underwater explorer robot, as it’s launched into the mysterious ocean twilight zone. In the cold, dark waters, Meso will discover all sorts of unusual and wonderful creatures, and learn that we’re all weird in our own ways … and that’s a very good thing! Where the Weird Things Are is inspired by the Mesobot project, a collaborative effort of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Stanford University, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Mesobot uses cameras and lights to noninvasively follow ocean animals that inhabit the ocean’s depths, enabling biologists to study their behavior over extended periods for the first time ever! UNDERWATER ADVENTURE: Dive into this immersive adventure, and meet the weird animals that swim in the darkness of the ocean twilight zone     FASCINATING ANIMALS: Get an up close look at some of the strangest creatures in the sea, like the strawberry squid that glows pink, the anglerfish that has its own built-in flashlight, and the salps that clean up the ocean . . . with their poop WEIRD IS WONDERFUL: Just like each unique animal helps create a diverse and healthy underwater environment, young readers will learn that strangeness is strength, and while everyone is different, everyone belongs EXTENDED LEARNING: Backmatter includes an 8-page “Creature Feature” section filled with fascinating facts about the real-life Mesobot, the ocean twilight zone, and all the ocean animals encountered in the story         TAKE THE QUIZ: Includes a link to the “Find Your Weird” quiz to discover which ocean creature is as wonderfully strange as you (visit keepitweird.org)