Helen Scales
Dr Helen Scales is a marine biologist, broadcaster and writer. Her books include the Guardian bestseller, Spirals in Time, the Telegraph best science book of the year, The Brilliant Abyss, and for younger readers The Great Barrier Reef and What a Shell Can Tell. She teaches marine science and science writing at Cambridge University and is advisor to the UK ocean conservation charity Sea Changers. Helen divides her time between Cambridge, England, and the wild Atlantic coast of France.
Books by Helen Scales
What a Shell Can Tell
by Helen Scales & Sonia Pulido (illustrator)
A richly illustrated scientific picture book (48 pages) by a marine biologist and an illustrator who lives by the sea. The author is very thoughtful about explaining the science in a simple way, without being patronising, leaving a lot of space for the colourful pictures. Young readers learn plenty of facts about shells and their diverse environments from coral reefs to the abyss, but What a Shell Can Tell is also a wonderful inspiration for children to think about the world by observing nature. A small accompanying activity kit is available to download.
Ages 6-10
“This book is wonderful. As you can see, I’ve read it very thoroughly—there are a million Post-it notes all through it. Helen Scales is a trained marine biologist, writer, and public broadcaster. She is an extraordinary writer who can unpack very complex ocean science and make it fascinating and digestible for the average person. The Brilliant Abyss is a deep dive into the extraordinary life and the seafloor features that we’re finding in the deep sea and all the potential discoveries that accompany them. At the same time, it’s about the growing threats to the deep sea, including deep sea fishing and deep sea mining. These forces are converging on the deep sea, which is the world’s largest wilderness refuge in the world. It makes sense that all these industrial forces want to extract from and exploit it. Scales writes about the beauty of the deep sea and the threats to it.” Read more...
The Best Books of Ocean Journalism
Laura Trethewey, Journalist
Interviews with Helen Scales
The Best Ocean Novels for 10-14 Year Olds, recommended by Helen Scales
Marine biologist Helen Scales reflects on the power of stories to bring all kinds of readers into the ocean realm. She recommends books for children and young adults, and explains why her selection focuses on novels for readers age 10-14.
The best books on Ocean Life, recommended by Helen Scales
We plunder the ocean for food, dump our waste in it, respect its wildlife less than land-based creatures. Why? Is it a case of “out of sight, out of mind”? Marine biologist Helen Scales tells us what’s down there and what we’re doing to it.
Interviews where books by Helen Scales were recommended
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1
The Brilliant Abyss: Exploring the Majestic Hidden Life of the Deep Ocean, and the Looming Threat That Imperils It
by Helen Scales -
2
The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier
by Ian Urbina -
3
Mapping the Deep
by Robert Kunzig -
4
Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science, and What the Ocean Tells Us About Ourselves
by James Nestor -
5
The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rogues, Freaks, and Giants of the Ocean
by Susan Casey
The Best Books of Ocean Journalism, recommended by Laura Trethewey
The Best Books of Ocean Journalism, recommended by Laura Trethewey
Humans have mapped only 25 percent of the seafloor, so the ocean is ripe for exploration and investigation. Environmental journalist and author Laura Trethewey recommends five books by ‘ocean journalists’ that explore the life, crime and science of the seas.
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1
A Seed Is Sleepy
by Dianna Aston & Sylvia Long (illustrator) -
2
How Colour Works
by Catherine Barr & Yuliya Gwilym (illustrator) -
3
Bright in the Night
by Lena Sjöberg -
4
The Big Book of Bugs
by Yuval Zommer -
5
Creatures of the Deep: The Pop-Up Book
by Ernst Haeckel & Maike Biederstädt (paper engineer)
Beautiful Science Books for 4-8 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Beautiful Science Books for 4-8 Year Olds, recommended by Our Children's Editor
Scientific picture books provide an enjoyable way for kids to explore different fields of science without realising how much they are learning. Our Children’s Editor picks science books for kids age 4-8 that are informative but also a pleasure to look at, both for children and for the adults that are reading with them.
