BRYN BARNARD is an author and illustrator whose previous books include The Genius of Islam; Outbreak! Plagues that Changed History; and Dangerous Planet: Natural Disasters that Changed History. Growing up in Laguna Beach, he’d bodysurfed and snorkeled for years. But as he was working on this book, he wanted to get under the ocean to see, with his own eyes, what he was writing about and painting—so he learned to scuba, which allowed him to experience the beauty and power of the ocean in a new way. Find him online at brynbarnard.com and @brynbarnard.