Where the Weird Things Are

Ages 4 to 8

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!

FUN AND FACT-FILLED: Written by award-winning deep-sea scientist Zoleka Filander and the team at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, this lovely story is packed with real information about life under the sea

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: 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.us)

About the Author

Zoleka Filander is a deep-sea scientist who studies the weird and wonderful creatures that live at the bottom of the ocean in the waters around her homeland of South Africa. She has led expeditions where she has spent many months at sea discovering more about South Africa's uncharted oceans. Her work has helped establish a network of offshore marine protected areas and has earned her multiple national, regional and international awards.