Book Cover
Book Summary
This book illustrations show the actual size of several wild animals, or part of them at actual size, along with a description of why the animal is remarkable. For example, the giant squid's eye is twelve inches across and a giant anteater's tongue is two feet long. At the end of the book, each animal gets a paragraph describing them in more detail.
APA Reference of Book
Jenkins, S. (2004). Actual size. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Impressions
I love this book. The illustrations are very realistic paper collage. The concept of the book makes it fascinating for children who are interested in animals. They are an enlightening look at the true size of animals that many children have only seen on tv or in other books. It's one thing to know that giant squid are really big, but seeing that their eyes are about the size of a volley ball makes it much more real.
Professional Review
"Jenkins's signature cut-paper collages are once again amazing in this oversize book in which life-size illustrations of eighteen creatures (or parts of them) invite reader participation. A nearly twelve-inch-long gorilla hand entices readers to see how their own hands measure up; the foot-across Goliath birdeater tarantula will inspire a similar reach. Included are creatures great and small: a dwarf goby fish barely registers on the page, while the Alaskan brown bear's head overflows a double-page spread. The relative sixes are accentuated by the white backdrop and are grounded by the straightforward information that accompanies the creatures — one or two brief sentences followed by the animal's height/length and weight — as they parade across the expansive pages. For dramatic appeal, a single-page foldout unveils itself halfway through this lesson in size: on one side an imposing saltwater crocodile's snout proudly displays a full mouth of teeth, while on the other side the greater part of a Goliath frog is shown in mid-leap. Additional information about each creature is included at the back, along with a complete picture of each animal, helpful in those cases where only part of an animal fits on a page."
Raece, L.E. (2004). [Review of Actual size by Steve Jenkins]. Horn Book Magazine, 80(3), 345. Retrieved from: http://www.hbook.com/horn-book-magazine-2/
Library Uses
This book is perfect for a science or animal program. The facts and illustrations will spark interest and can be tied into other applications and even crafts.
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