Otis and Will Discover the Deep

The Record-Setting Dive of the Bathysphere

Book cover with the title Otis and Will Discover the Deep in gold text that features a painting of a bathysphere descending into the deep sea with a spotlight on a small squid.

The suspenseful, little-known true story of two determined pioneers who made the first dive into the deep ocean.

On June 6, 1930, engineer Otis Barton and explorer Will Beebe dove into the ocean inside a hollow metal ball of their own invention called the Bathysphere. They knew dozens of things might go wrong. A tiny leak could shoot pressurized water straight through the men like bullets! A single spark could cause their oxygen tanks to explode! No one had ever dived lower than a few hundred feet... and come back. But Otis and Will were determined to become the first people to see what the deep ocean looks like.

by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Katherine Roy
Little, Brown, June 5, 2018. Ages 4-8 years

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Critical Praise for Otis and Will

  • ...a true science adventure story. ✭

    — School Library Journal (starred review)

  • Masterful. ✭

    — The Horn Book (starred review)

  • A perfect book for STEM education!

    — School Library Connection (starred review)

  • A true adventure tale par excellence. ✭

    — The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

  • [A] tribute to the power of curiosity, imagination, and ambition. ✭

    — Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

Book events with Otis and Will

“I was so inspired by you in Las Vegas last August that I am planning a research unit with a 6th grade ELA teacher using Elephant, Sharks, and Otis & Will as anchor texts. My colleague was awed by these books and is excited for the collaboration. Thank you!!”
— Soraya, Teacher Librarian, Nevada
Author Katherine Roy posing with a group of elementary school students with their hands raised in the air.
Painting by Katherine Roy of the bathysphere on the deck of a ship as workers prepare for its first descent into the deep.
Painting by Katherine Roy of the bathysphere descending into the bright blue ocean surrounded by fish and plankton.
Painting by Katherine Roy of the William Beebe smiling up from the open hatch of the bathysphere at Otis Barton on the deck of the ship after their first successful journey into the deep.