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.