Good eating : the short life of krill /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In this nonfiction picture book an unidentified narrator follows one krill among billions as it pursues its existence, eating and eating while metamorphosing from one thing into another and trying to avoid being eaten. Krill are among the largest animals able to catch and eat phytoplankton, and they in turn are eaten by the largest animals ever to live on earth-blue whales-as well as by seals, penguins, and a host of other animals. That makes them the keystone animal species in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica. Dan Tavis's illustrations combine scientific accuracy with Nemo liveliness. Includes back matter about krill natural history.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 3--6--An adorable introduction to one of the smallest food sources available for ocean dwellers. This book presents the life cycle of the krill, from birth in the depths of the ocean near Antarctica to transformation into a tasty meal for penguins, seals, bird, fish, and whales. Of course, one krill is a mere snack, so they are usually eaten in a very large quantities. A whale can eat a million or more krill in one bite. Soft watercolors effectively show the different stages of the krill as it eats plankton and other tiny organisms in order to grow and molt its shell, then eat and grow more. The story is told with gentle humor and ends with a helpful page of facts and further resources, as well as a link to an online game about krill. VERDICT An enjoyable and educational read suitable for upper elementary students.--Cynde Suite

Booklist Review

Tavis, illustrator of Jacquie Sewell's Whale Fall Café (2021), dives into another marine food source. The book follows the ever-popular (to predators, anyway) Antarctic krill from blobby egg to shrimplike maturity, where they are surrounded by "krillions" of fellow crustaceans and not a few hungry-looking seals, penguins, whales, and fish. Lilley makes jocular observations ("You look kind of buggy, but you're not a bug. / You look kind of shrimpy, but you're not a shrimp.") and comments on successive growth stages, bioluminescence, and this keystone species' role in the Southern Ocean's food chain. "In other words, krill are really good at eating and krill are really good eatin'." The lack of any view or mention of reproduction leaves a gap in the life cycle that the closing list of print and online resources may help to fill, and a lead at the end to an educational game called Krill Smackdown should have even more budding biologists reaching for their keyboards.

Horn Book Review

An omniscient narrator notices a small egg at the surface of the Southern Ocean. Using direct address, the narrator speaks to the egg as it floats downward and changes ("you're not an egg anymore") into a six-armed oval, or, as a small label informs readers, a nauplius. Now the creature reverses direction and swims toward the surface, adding legs and a shell, which it molts. For about four weeks, it continues this two-mile upward journey, complete with more alterations (such as forming a mouth, stomach, and eyes) and more molting. Finally, a mature krill emerges, eating and growing and molting some more. The narrator continues commenting on the crustacean, pointing out its bioluminescence, its changing color as it eats small plants, and the millions of like creatures it joins. The slightly cartoonish illustrations of goggle-eyed krill complement the light tone of the text but never distract from the scientific fact that krill are the keystone species of Earth's southernmost ocean. Illustrations show swarms of krill eating algae and phytoplankton only to, in turn, be devoured by seabirds, penguins, and whales. The narrator drolly comments: "Krill are really good at eating and krill are really good eatin'." Back matter includes additional facts about krill; recommended books and online content (including a computer game) encourage readers to learn more. Betty Carter May/June 2022 p.164(c) Copyright 2022. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Matt Lilley (Minneapolis, MN; mattlilley.ink) has a master's degree in scientific and technical communication with a special emphasis on medical writing for kids. A technical writer by day and a children's nonfiction book author by night, he finds that the night work is harder because it requires making complicated topics interesting as well as easy to understand. He is a Minnesota Master Naturalist and likes writing about science and nature as well as medicine. His previous children's books include Why We Love and Why We Cry (Capstone) and Canada Geese and Beavers (in ABDO's "Pond Animals" series).

Dan Tavis (Dunbarton, New Hampshire; dantavis.com) began doodling in his first math class in elementary school and was inspired to paint upon discovering Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Watterson's work remains a major influence. Dan is the illustrator of Common Critters (Tilbury House, 2020), The Whale Fall Caf� (Tilbury House, 2021), and the forthcoming Fluffy McWhiskers and the Cuteness Explosion (Simon and Schuster, October 2021) and has a passion to illustrate characters that emotionally connect with the viewer and tell stories through visual narrative. Dan creates illustrations with watercolor, ink, and digital media.