EYE TO EYE: HOW ANIMALS SEE THE WORLD

a. Bibliographic data: Jenkins, Steve. EYE TO EYE: HOW ANIMALS SEE THE WORLD. Ill. by Steve Jenkins. New York & Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014. ISBN: 9780547959078.

b. Plot summary:  

Building on one of the most important features of an animal, this eye-catching literary text EYE TO EYE: HOW ANIMALS SEE THE WORLD, not only gives the reader an insight into to the lives of many creatures but also into the structure of their eyes. Each page exhibits a different animal with a close up of its head and great detail of its eye. From the simplest of eye formations to more complex, Jenkins lures us in with interesting facts and detailed illustrations, leaving us wanting more. “So turn the page and meet animals with more than 100 eyeballs, eyes that can look in two directions at the same time, eyeballs the size of a basketball, and many more” (Jenkins, 2014).

c. Critical Analysis: 

         In EYE TO EYE: HOW ANIMALS SEE THE WORLD, Jenkins is able to express the most important features of each animal’s distinct eyesight and how essential it is to their very being in just a small paragraph. Each page features a different animal, showing a detailed close-up of the animal’s eye(s) while also showing a small picture of what the whole animal looks like. This helps the reader to see the zoomed out animal but still does not help with relative size, which is exposed at the end on the “Animal Facts” page.

         The author accurately depicts not only the type of animal and their eye structure, but he also describes the distinct animal’s life and how the structures of their eyes aid them in survival. Although there is great factual information in this text, only six bibliographic sources, dating from 1968 to 2011, were used in the creation of this book. Despite this, there is still an abundance of factual information in the text.

          The organizational flow of this book is logical because the pattern of complexity goes from simple to more advanced. The back of the book further discusses the evolution of the eye in more detail to help the reader understand the bigger picture. This book allows for differentiation since there are so many different parts to it that make it a whole. Kids could benefit from the pictures at a young age and the older kids could benefit from the Glossary and other informative information that it gives.

         The design of the book is inviting to children because the illustrations are cartoon-like and portray a sense of childlike attributes. This not only draws in the younger audiences, but the text captivates older audiences as well. The illustrations are age appropriate for the intended audiences, but the text is at a higher level. Although the illustrations are fictional, they accurately depict the realistic structure of each animal’s eye.

  

d. Reviews:

“The writing seems complex for the intended audience, but the artwork is handsome and well composed; each image is a subtle, intricate paper collage. There’s no indication of the animal’s actual size until the back matter. Still, browsers will enjoy the illustrations, while teachers might find this a useful visual resource for showing a wide variety of animal light-sensors and eyes.” –Booklist

“The evolution of the eye and the surprising ways animals see the world are displayed in a thoughtfully designed and engagingly illustrated album."—Kirkus

"The eyes themselves [are] prominently featured in well-designed layouts that serve both as study guide and display for the beautifully rendered and reproduced cut-paper artwork." —Horn Book Magazine

"Large, colorful pictures of more than 20 animal eyes are accompanied by a small illustration of the entire creature and a brief paragraph of intriguing information ...Animal facts, a bibliography, and a glossary round out this slim volume that will captivate readers of all ages."—School Library Journal

"The framing of eye anatomy, especially the concluding chart explaining the evolution of the eye, gives the information a broader context that gives the book impact beyond Jenkins' famously vivid cut-paper illustrations."—Bulletin

"The eye, with its intricate structure and symbolic resonance, is an ideal focus for Jenkins' inquisitive, informative narrative and multidimensional art."-Publishers Weekly

Awards/Honors:

SLJ Best Books 2014, Nonfiction

Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014, Picture Books

2015 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book

ALA Notable Books for Children 2015, All Ages

NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K–12: 2015

e. Connections:

Students can create a graphic organizer to categorize the animals’ eye functions. They can be creative in thinking of ways to categorize these or they can be given a category such as what Jenkins gives in the beginning, “four kinds of eyes.”

This book can be paired with BATS IN THE BAND by Brian Lies to make a comparison of the way the creatures in Jenkins book use their eyes to see versus how bats are able to “see” (or not see).

Students can choose an animal to research and try the unique illustrating style of Jenkins to create their own close up of an animal and its eye.

Students can write about the reasons that eyes are so important to animals. What would it be like if animals couldn’t see? How would they survive? How do humans survive without being able to see? Etc.

QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO

a. Bibliographic data: Montgomery, Sy. THE QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO: AN EXPEDITION TO THE CLOUD FOREST OF NEW GUINEA. Photographs by Nic Bishop. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009. ISBN: 9780618496419.

b. Plot summary: 

From the SCIENTISTS IN THE FIELD series comes a book about an extremely endangered animal, found deep in the canopies of Papua New Guinea’s cloud forest. QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO is a fact-filled, book of intriguing research that gives its reader’s insight into a place that is remote to most humans. Follow the venturous and brave group of scientists on their expedition, led by Lisa Dabek, as they make their way through the dense forest of New Guinea in search of answers, photographs, and scientific evidence of the tree kangaroo. Author Sy Montgomery documents the experiences with literary means while Nic Bishop documents the experiences with his talent of photography.

c. Critical Analysis: 

        THE QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO is a brilliantly written book that had me captured on every page; I couldn’t put it down! This story is told in a chronological fashion, showing the trip from beginning to end, including extraordinary aspects to the daily happenings of what it means to be a conservationist in the world of science. The reader is able to see the whole team behind the expedition and just how many people it takes to make it run smoothly.

         The words that the author uses to describe the scenery are so descriptive that it feels as though you are a part of the expedition right in the deep canopies of the muddy jungles of New Guinea with them. Each page brings the reader farther into the expedition for a tree kangaroo, exposing us to a surprising new species on almost every page. The author does a great job at providing a variety of insights, such as what the team of scientists needs to bring on their flight to the mountains to what they do when they catch a tree kangaroo. An example of the descriptive language can be found when the author attempts to describe the elusive tree kangaroo on page 7 of the text, “Impossible soft, with a rounded face, button eyes, pink nose, pert upright ears and a long thick tail, it was about the size of a small dog or an overweight cat, with plush brown and golden fur.”

         The reading level of this informational text is recommended for high elementary level and above because of the lengthy paragraphs and depth of wording. This book can appeal to a number of audiences, young and old, because of the vivid photography and descriptive captions. I read many of the pages aloud to my first grade students, which they thoroughly enjoyed because of the descriptive language and adventure they were able to go on without ever leaving the classroom.

         At the end of the book, Lisa Dabek, the scientist, gives the readers personal and informative advice for following their passions and conserving the earth. We also get to see a note from the author and the photographer, which gives the reader an interesting, new look into the lives of those who created the book and what they went through to get that book into the hands of an interested reader.

d. Reviews:

“The book's fascinating glimpses into a little-explored region will hold the attention of anyone interested in unusual creatures and the efforts to study them.” –School Library Journal

“Montgomery gives a chronological, sometimes moment-by-moment account of the challenging climb into the remote cloud forest, the conditions in camp (rice-and-fern dinners, icy waterfall showers), and the awe-inspiring encounters with barely studied animals. The text occasionally veers into a casual tone ("a leech dropped into Lisa's eye. Yuck!") that seems aimed at a young audience, while the small font, exacting detail, and meandering narrative may demand older readers. Still, Montgomery gives an unusually strong, visceral sense of the work and cooperation fieldwork entails and the scope and uniqueness of this particular mission.” –Booklist

“Bishop’s sharply focused photographs have a ‘you are there’ quality, while Montgomery vividly captures the scientists’ excitement when they snare several tree kangaroos — each the size of a small dog or overweight cat — to fit them with radio collars for tracking from afar.” -The Washington Post

“Montgomery's friendliness and curiosity set the tone...Bishop's photography is, as always, outstanding...Dabek's advice to young naturalists...[is a] useful addition.” -Horn Book

“From the maps in front to the concluding suggestions for young enthusiasts, information about the language, and index, this is another commendable title from an experienced team.” -Kirkus

“In this fact-packed adventure with stunning photos, readers join scientists in New Guinea to radio-collar the way-cute tree-dweller.”

-People Magazine

“From the maps in front to the concluding suggestions for young enthusiasts, information about the language, and index, this is another commendable title from an experienced team.” –Publishers Weekly

Awards/Honors:

Winner of the 2007 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award

2007 Robert F. Sibert Award, Honor

2006 American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Henry Bergh Children's Book Award

John Burroughs Young Reader Award

A Green Earth Honor Book from the Newton Marasco Foundation

2007 Julia Ward Howe Finalist Award from the Boston Authors Club

Henry Bergh Children's Book Award

Named one of the TOP 10 books of the year for children by The Washington Post

A Booklist Editor's Choice for 2006

A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year 2006

A National Science Teachers Association Council on Children's Books tstanding Science Trade Book for Students K-12 Selection

A NSTA/CBC Selector's Choice

A Junior Library Guild Selection

e. Connections:

Since the scientists on this expedition had to give up a lot just to find the special tree kangaroos, students could write about their dream job and what they would be willing to sacrifice. They can discuss obstacles and ways they would overcome these.

Research is an important part of our world and making it better. Have the students discuss the importance of research and capability it has of making a difference in our world. Why is this important? What differences can it make? What are some important things to be researched?

The students can make a picture glossary together as they go through the book. There are many new animals, places, and descriptions that they can add and make their own.

On page seven of the text, the author gives a description of a tree kangaroo and with this makes a comparison saying it looked like “something that Dr. Seuss might have dreamed up.” Students can search Dr. Seuss books to find a character they think most resembles the tree kangaroo and why.

Students could think of their own new animal. They should describe its habitat and needs. They could create a place for it on the food chain and discuss its impact on its surrounding environment. They can draw this new animal or make a three-dimensional model of it.

THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF MARK TWAIN (ACCORDING TO SUSY)

a. Bibliographic data: Kerley, Barbara. THE EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN (ACCORDING TO SUSY). Ill. by Edwin Fotheringham. New York, New York: Scholastic Press, 2010. ISBN 9780545125086.

b. Plot summary:

         THE EXTRAORDINARY MARK TWAIN (ACCORDING TO SUSY) tells the story of the world-famous author and his behind-the-scenes home life. Susy Clemens, Samuel Clemen’s thirteen-year-old, curious daughter, wants the world to know who her Papa really is. Through around-the-clock observations, Susy is busy writing a secret biography in her journal that is kept under her pillow at night. Barbara Kerley extraordinary words and Edwin Fotheringham’s illustrations are beautifully combined to create an inside look into the life of an American icon. Through real journal entries from Susy, misspellings and all, the reader gains inside access into a man that she so desperately wanted the world to know. “And so, people finally got just what Susy thought they needed: a portrait of the funny, serious, absentminded, at-loving, billiard-playing, philosophical, Papa- the extraordinary Mark Twain according to Susy.”

c. Critical Analysis: 

         Barbara Kerley writes a story of the life of Mark Twain, embedding real journal entries from a person who witnessed first hand his unfiltered, everyday life. Twain’s daughter, Susy, truthfully and openly documented the life of her father, Papa, in the form of a biography. This young girl’s view of her papa was told in a way that captures his every essence, from his sometimes quiet home life, to his long writing days, to his vacation away from the busy city life.

         Kerley includes the real journal entries of Susy on several pages, which are fascinating because they tell such raw truth and include the original spelling errors and thoughts of Susy. Different fonts are used to distinguish between the primary sources, which are Susy’s journal entries, and the secondary sources, which are Kerley’s words. This distinction is beneficial to the readers, both young and old.

         The book is organized in a logical sense, creating flow through chronological events. The story starts off explaining the why behind the biography. Susy, just thirteen years old when she started writing, was determined to let the world know who her real papa’s was, which is something so few people really knew. As the story continues, Fotheringham’s brilliant and elaborate illustrations give expression and life to the pages of Kerley’s and Susy’s words. The illustrations include curvy and elaborate lines that emanate from several objects surrounding Mark Twain, to show sound and expression.

         At one point in the story, Fotheringham shows Twain and his family in a variety of settings, yet all in their one house. From Papa reading in bed, to the family eating dinner as Twain throws around his napkin, to Twain stopping to converse with the felines, all as the eyes of Susy are upon him, carefully observing his every move.

         At the end of the book, Kerley provides some very useful and factual information about the story of Mark Twain, whose real name is Samuel Clemens. It is obvious that Kerley is well qualified to be the author of such an extraordinary book because of the lengths she went to in order to really know the full story of Mark Twain’s life (especially obvious by just seeing how many sources she used). She concludes with a brief history of Susy and Twain’s short life together. Kerley also provides the reader with a guide to making his or her own extraordinary biography!

d. Reviews:

"This is a frank biographer and an honest one; she uses no sandpaper on me." -Mark Twain

“The text flawlessly segues into Susy's carefully recorded, sometimes misspelled, details of his character, intimate life, and work routine during his most prolific years....A delightful primer on researching and writing biographies, and a joy to peruse.” -School Library Journal

“With a restrained palette and a fine sense of line, Fotheringham's stylized, digital illustrations are wonderfully freewheeling, sometimes comical, and as eccentric as Susy's subject.” –Booklist

“Kerley's conversational, quotation-rich narration effectively complements Susy's insights, and the result is an affectionate portrait of Twain as writer and family man…. Fotheringham's dynamically composed, digitally created full-bleed illustrations, both inventive and appealing, effectively recall the 19th-century setting, and big, swirling lines reflect the flourishes of an ink pen…. A heartwarming tribute to both the writing life in general and the well-loved humorist-oops, sorry Susy… "Pholosopher!" -Kirkus

“Author notes about Susy and her father, a time line of Twain's life, and tips for writing an "extraordinary biography" complete this accessible and inventive vision of an American legend.” -Publishers Weekly

Awards/Honors:

Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List 2011-2012

NCBLA - Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts 2011

2011 NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended

2011 NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts

CLA Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts 2011

Children's Book Committee Bank Street College of Education Children's Choices - Best Books of 2011, Historical Fiction, ages 9-12

Kirkus Reviews 2010 Best Children’s Books

Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books 2010, Picture Books

e. Connections:

The students can use the back of the book to make their own biography, using the many helpful hints of Barbara Kerley.

Students can compare other books written by Barbara Kerley: A Home for Mr. Emerson, Those Rebels, John & Tom, Walt Whitman: Words for America, What to do About Alice.

Students could do a study on the life of Mark Twain. They could research where he grew up, where he would visit, etc. in order to give life to the biography written about him.