text by Sy Montgomery
photographs by Nic Bishop
Montgomery, Sy. 2004. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST. Ill. by Nic Bishop. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin . ISBN 0-618-14799-3.
PLOT SUMMARY
THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST is an informational book about arachnids, hard to hold and read if you are an arachnophobia like me! Montgomery teaches us about tarantulas and other arachnids, from spiders to scorpions, in a very adventurous way. "Here she comes, he announces. She thunders out of the hole." There is a map in the front of the book which comes in handy as Montgomery leads readers from one country to another in search of the several species of the big spiders. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The information in THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST is very detailed and Montgomery proves to be a true authority on tarantulas and the likes. "He knows exactly what he is doing. Sam is a spider scientist, or arachnololgist (pronounced "ar-rack-NAWL-o-gist")." It is also helpful that the pronunciation of potential unfamiliar words is included in the text.
THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST is a very well organized book, leading readers from place to place in search of tarantulas, all the while giving information about other animals encountered along the way. By the end of the book, the author mentions that readers can purchase their own tarantulas for pets. A glossary is included at the end to help clear up any questions about terms used in the book.
The book is very attractive, if you could call pictures of tarantulas, vinegaroons, poisonous frogs, etc to be attractive. Just holding the book gives you the feeling that spiders are crawling on you! The pictures are vivid in color, large, and certainly add to the information in the book. The photos are well coordinated with the information on the page. Going from place to place to enlighten readers about spiders helps keep the design simple and easy to follow.
The author and illustrator work well together to entice readers to learn about tarantulas. They provide an abundance of information but in a way that the reader is not overwhelmed. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST unquestionably peeks curiosity and leads one to think. "Amanda want to investigate their courtship and child rearing. Do theses tarantulas also have a courtship dance? She'll be the first to find out." All through the book questions are raised that encourage discovery.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (March 15, 2004 (Vol. 100, No. 14))
Gr. 4-7. Montgomery and Bishop, who worked together on Snake Scientist (1999), team up once again to deliver another fascinating slice of the natural world. Readers will come away armed with facts about spiders in general and tarantulas in particular, but even more important, they'll have a clear understanding of how the answers derived from research become the roots of new, intriguing questions.
Horn Book (July/August, 2004)
Writer and photographer team up again to bring us another excellent entry in the Scientist in the Field series. We follow arachnologist Sam Marshall on a field expedition to South America, and then back to his laboratory in Ohio to investigate several tarantula species. Information about spider basics, spider silk, and how to observe your own local spiders is woven into the main narrative. Montgomery is effective in showing how scientists' research questions integrate their field and laboratory study, and how Marshall's enthusiasm drives his scientific work.
Horn Book starred (Fall 2004)
This book follows arachnologist Sam Marshall on an expedition to South America to investigate several tarantula species. Information about spider basics, spider silk, and how to observe your own local spiders is woven into the main narrative. The color photography is so interesting that even the squeamish may take a second look at the hairy tarantulas portrayed in close detail. Websites. Bib., glos., ind.Kirkus Review starred (February 15, 2004)
Montgomery has a gift for scene-setting, describing Marshall's activities in just enough detail. She deftly weaves clear explanations and comparisons into the main text (" . . . their 'skin' is called an exoskeleton, because exo-like exit-means 'outside' "). Bishop's phenomenal photos show spiders mating, shedding their skin, even leaping through the air. It's enough to make Miss Muffet fall in love. (Nonfiction. 8-14)
School Library Journal (May 1, 2004)
Gr 5-10-Superb color photos abound in this spectacular series addition. Readers follow the career of Sam Marshall, tarantula scientist extraordinaire, from his "Spider Lab" at Hiram College in Ohio to the rain forests of French Guiana as he hunts for, finds, and studies the creatures he loves so well. A treat, even for arachnophobes.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
AWARDS
2005 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book
2004 School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year
2005 Texas Bluebonnet Award
2004 John Burroughs Honor List of Nature Books for Children
2005 National Science Teachers Association and Children’s Book Council
Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children. The book received the further
distinction of being noted as a “Selector's Choice” among these outstanding
works for children.
2005 Notable Children’s Book in the Language Arts
2005 Voice of Youth Advocates Nonfiction Honor List
Kirkus Reviews Editor’s Choice List, a compilation of what reviewers
consider the top books of the year.
CONNECTIONS
Read other books by the author and/or illustrator
Other Books by Montgomery
Search for the Golden Moon Bear
Encantado: Pink Dolphin of the Amazon
The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans
Journey of the Pink Dolphins; An Amazon Quest
The Snake Scientist
Walking with the Great Apes: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, Birute Galdikas
Books written and photographed by Bishop
Backyard Detective: Critters Up Close
Digging for Bird Dinosaurs: An Expedition to Madagascar
Forest Explorer: A Life-Sized Field Guide
The Secrets of Animal Flight
Books with photographs by Bishop
Chameleon, Chameleon by Joy Cowley. by Joy Cowley. Looking for Life in the Universe by Ellen Jackson. by Ellen Jackson.
The Red-Eyed Tree Frog by Joy Cowley. by Joy Cowley.
The Snake Scientist by Sy Montgomery. by Sy Montgomery.
Related Titles: Spiders
Tarantulas and Other Arachnids by Sam Marshall. by Sam Marshall. Spiders and Their Kin by Herbert W. and Lorna R. Levi. by Herbert W. and Lorna R. Levi.
Florida’s Fabulous Spiders by Sam Marshall and B.B. Edwards. by Sam Marshall and B.B. Edwards.
Tarantula Shoes by Tom Birdseye. by Tom Birdseye.
Spiders and Their Webs by Margery Facklam. by Margery Facklam.
The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets by Jean Craighead George. by Jean Craighead George.
ACTIVITIES
Have the students go for a hike and draw one animal that they spy. Then return to the classroom to research about the animal and give facts around the picture. Then put all the pages together to form a book, written by the student scientists.
Compare and contrast spiders and insects.Have the students go for a hike and draw one animal that they spy. Then return to the classroom to research about the animal and give facts around the picture. Then put all the pages together to form a book, written by the student scientists.
Write a narrative story from the viewpoint of the spider.
DOWN, DOWN, DOWN: A JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA
by Steve Jenkins
Jenkins, Steve. 2009.
DOWN, DOWN, DOWN: A JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-9663-3.
PLOT SUMMARY
DOWN, DOWN, DOWN: A JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA is a nonfiction book about sea life and their surroundings, starting at the ocean's surface and descending to the ocean floor. Jenkins takes us down, down, down, in a magical way that allows readers to actually get a feeling for what it is really like at different levels in the sea. In the end, the author says it will take two hours to ascend to the surface and then I think he leaves an open opportunity for a sequel to the book. "Some scientists believe that we've seen fewer than half the large animals living in the sea. If we're lucky, we'll encounter some of these unknown creatures on our return trip."
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Jenkins uses many details in temperatures in both Fahrenheit and Celsius, depth in both feet and meters, and sizes compared to the adult human body and/or size of a hand. He is also very accurate about the light in the ocean at various levels. This informational book is chocked full of facts about sea life and their environment.
Likewise, the author organized the information by going down in different levels of the ocean, thus the title, DOWN, DOWN, DOWN. It is arranged so that it is very "kid friendly." At the end, is a glossary which gives details about each ocean creature featured throughout the book.
The illustrations are very detailed as well. As the book progresses, and the reader progressed deeper into the sea, the pages get darker, as does the ocean. "We've reached the dark zone. Not even the faintest sunlight can reach us here. It's colder, and the pressure is enormous." Just reading those words gives you the feeling of being there, an eerie and strange feeling!
The writing style and display of pictures will definitely appeal to the young, especially the way that Jenkins included the details about the creatures at the end of the book. The pages are not full of information that could be overwhelming. The grid on the right of the page is a very resourceful way to show the depth of the ocean.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist (April 1, 2009 (Vol. 105, No. 15))
Grades 2-4. In this plunge into the deep, Jenkins displays his usual keen awareness of what is fascinating about biology and imparts it without sensationalism—the facts speak for themselves.
Horn Book (May/June, 2009)
Jenkins takes his signature collage to the oceans, sinking readers from the surface of the Pacific Ocean down nearly 11,000 meters to the bottom of the Marianas Trench.. Excellent details, including facts and to-scale comparisons to humans, are organized in the end pages of the book.
Kirkus Review (April 15, 2009)
Once again, Jenkins provides an almost irresistible entry into our natural world for the youngest readers. (Informational picture book. 5-8)
School Library Journal (April 1, 2009)
Gr 3-6-The bold views tend to emphasize the weirdness of these little-known species, but the repeated message that humans have much to explore and learn in the deeper ocean is intriguing and inviting.
AWARDS
ALA Notable Book 2010
2009 Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
New York Times-one of the eight most Notable Children's Books of 2009
2011 Beehive Book Award Nominee (Utah)
Bluebonnet Reading List. 2010 - 2011
CONNECTIONS
Related Literature About Oceans
The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau by Dan Yaccarino
Thunder from the Sea by Joan Hiatt Harlow
The Giant Rat of Sumatra by Sid Fleischman
All Stations, Distress! The Titanic by Don Brown
Sea Clocks by Louise Borden
Hello, Ocean by Pam Munoz Ryan
Old Shell, New Shell by Helen Ward
ACTIVITIES
Have student choose one sea creature and research it. Then student can make a poster with a picture and all the information on it. Then display them in the hall or room.
Students become familiar with some of the latest discoveries in ocean research, including hydrothermal vents and historical shipwrecks. They explore the work of deep-sea explorer Robert Ballard and hypothesize about what they might find in the ocean.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE?
by Barbara Kerley
illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
BIBLIOGRAPHYKerley, Barbara. 2008. WHAT TO DO ABOUT ALICE? Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. ISBN 0-439-92231-3.
PLOT SUMMARY
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Kerley accurately depicts the life of Alice Roosevelt in a way that children will enjoy reading. The events that Alice participated in help to inform the reader of what was happening in history at that time. Likewise, the story points out that girls were expected to act a certain way in that day, not like the girls of today who have the freedom to be themselves. Even so, finishing school didn't work on Alice. "And she still ate up the world, dancing the turkey trot at diplomatic balls and playing poker with the boys."
The bibliography is told from the beginning of Alice's life to the end in chronological order. The pictures guide you through a timeline with Alice growing up throughout the book. At the beginning of the book, her dad is not President.
The pictures correlate well with the story. Fotheringham did a fabulous job of rendering the style of clothes from the time period, the style of houses, transportation, etc. The story is definitely enhanced by the artwork. The words are easy to read on the pages, scattered in various places on the pages.
At the end of the book, the author's note is informative and adds more understanding of the characters. The book absolutely focuses on Alice and her life, mentioning others in historical ways. The author and illustrator worked together to tell about the life of a historical figure in an intriguing manner.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist starred (January 1, 2008 (Vol. 104, No. 9))
Grades K-3. Kerley’s text has the same rambunctious spirit as its subject, grabbing readers from the first line: “Theodore Roosevelt had a small problem.” Children will be impressed with the way Alice took control of her life: eschewing formal schooling, she convinced T. R. to “let her loose in his library.” The large format gives Fotheringham, in his debut, plenty of room for spectacular art, which includes use of digital media. In almost every picture, Alice is running, motoring, racing. One clever spread shows what it was like to be a media princess: newspaper pages fly across the spread, obscuring Alice. There are a few flaws.
Horn Book (March/April, 2008)
This sassy biography of Alice Roosevelt Longworth validates President Theodore Roosevelt's famous quip about his oldest child: "I can be president of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both." With a palette that emphasizes Alice Blue, her signature color, the illustrations often match Alice's spirit with zigzag streaks, circular pieces of spot art, and slanting figures. What to do about Alice? Enjoy!
Kirkus Review starred (February 1, 2008)
Theodore Roosevelt's irrepressible oldest child receives an appropriately vivacious appreciation in this superb picture book. Fotheringham's digital illustrations perfectly evoke the retro styles of an earlier age, depicting a confident Alice sailing through life and tackling every challenge with delight and aplomb. The illustrator takes every opportunity to develop Alice's character further; one memorable spread shows a blandly smiling Alice leading her smaller siblings in riding trays down the White House stairs while the text merely remarks, "She watched her younger brothers and sister so her stepmother could get some rest." It's a gleeful celebration of a fully, unapologetically led life.Library Media Connection (February 2008)
This successful melding of text and pictures showcases the life of Teddy Roosevelt's irrepressible daughter, Alice. A subdued palette with touches of red highlights the vitality of the subject matter. Large cartoon-like images of Teddy and Alice effectively convey their larger-than-life personalities. Alice's antics will have plenty of child appeal. The book does an excellent job of conveying a lot of history in an entertaining way as it illuminates the life and personality of one of America's icons. Highly Recommended. Quinby Frank, Librarian, Green Acres School, Rockville, Maryland
Publishers Weekly (March 31, 2008)
It's hard to imagine a picture book biography that could better suit its subject than this high-energy volume serves young Alice Roosevelt. Debut illustrator Fotheringham creates the perfect mood from the start: his stylish digital art sets a fast pace, making use of speed lines (rendered in dots, these earn their names) and multiple vignettes to evoke characters in perpetual motion. His compositions wittily incorporate headlines, iconic images and plenty of Alice blue, too. Kids will embrace a heroine who teaches her younger step siblings to sled down the White House stairs ("Alice tried to be helpful," Kerley writes soberly as Fotheringham shows her in action), entertains dignitaries with her pet snake and captivates a nation with pranks and high jinks. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
School Library Journal (March 1, 2008)
Gr 2-4-Kerley brings another historical figure to life. Kerley's text gallops along with a vitality to match her subject's antics, as the girl greets White House visitors accompanied by her pet snake, refuses to let leg braces cramp her style, dives fully clothed into a ship's swimming pool, and also earns her place in history as one of her father's trusted advisers. Fotheringham's digitally rendered, retro-style illustrations are a superb match for the text. The energy in his pictures is palpable as when Alice is turned loose in her father's library and five Alices dart about followed by lines that trace her frenetic path as she reads eclectically and voraciously. The illustrations not only enhance but are frequently the source of humor: -Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.
AWARDS
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
Irma Black Award Honor Book
Parents Choice Award
Washington State Scandiuzzi Children's Book Award
California Collections
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year
An ALA Notable Book
Capitol Choices
New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing
Nominated for Young Reader awards in Texas, Illinois, Utah and Tennessee
CONNECTIONS
Stand Tall, Abraham Lincoln, by Judith St. George
If I Ran for President by Katherine Stier
George Washington's Teeth by Katherine Stier
Duck for President by Doreen Cronin
The Kid Who Ran for President by Dan Gutman
Kennedy Assassinated by Wilborn Hampton
ACTIVITIES
Have students list the facts they learned about first daughter Alice Roosevelt.
Describe and list character traits for Alice.
Research a first daughter of interest.
Create a story “What To Do About ________?” based on their research.
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