Any parent who expects their kids to freely take their advice is misguided. A better approach is to hope that there is the rare occasion when the normal juvenile defenses are weak, and it is possible for our offspring to see the beauty and truths in life that we see. This happened with my sons when I read them Into the Deep: The Life of Naturalist and Explorer William Beebe, by David Sheldon.
I had no right to expect my own children to pay attention to the wisdom I was dropping on them by reading them this book. After all, I had ignored the pearls cast in front of me by my own parents. My father had tried to get me into computers in the late 1980s. He worked in the field and saw great opportunities for people who knew about them. That might have been a good time for me to listen to my dad.
So when I read Into the Deep to my boys–they must have been four or five–I couldn’t believe that they liked it. I am a naturalist, and I had assumed it would be a flop similar to a host of other things that had been discarded on the parental scrap heap related to exploring the natural world. Maybe it was the illustrations, or the fact that they were fascinated by the old fashioned diving helmet on the cover. Maybe it is Sheldon’s excellent text or carefully selected illustrations. Regardless, there are many lessons to be learned for children and adults alike in the study of William Beebe.
The book starts with Beebe’s birth in 1877 in Brooklyn, NY, and takes readers through some of the greatest hits of his studies and expeditions. From keeping a natural history museum in his bedroom, working at the New York Zoological Park, and then exploring the deep with the incredible bathysphere, Beebe was a true pioneer. He spent much of his later life writing and working to advance conservation initiatives.
At about $10 for the paperback, this is definitely worth a shot. The glossary and further information at the end of the book is uncommonly helpful, and is a useful reminder of terms and ideas for all readers. If you aren’t a naturalist, your chances of having it be a hit with kids is likely to be even higher than it was for me!
Beebe isn’t only for kids, either, as he used one of the early Omega “Marine” watches (in the 1930s) and even wrote a whole chapter in praise of sleeping in a hammock in one of his books of nature writing, so there is plenty of depth in his story.
Whether it is with kids or on your own, there is a lot to learn from William Beebe.
