- Jenkins, S. (2004). Actual size. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
BOOK SUMMARY
In Actual Size, Jenkins allows the reader to truly conceptualize the relationship of creatures throughout the world, showing the scale of multiple animals side by side on the pages. Simple pictures and interesting facts connect the reader to animals in a new and inviting way.
Impressions and opinion of the book
For such a short picture book, Jenkins really does pack a punch. His background in graphic design is apparent as he weaves the images together in the most powerful way. The figures entice the reader to compare the different creatures, not only to each other, but also to the readers, themselves. The images are created with paper, and while they are realistic, they are presented in a way so as not to be threatening to the reader. At times, the text seems to be an afterthought, but there is still valuable information given and the highlight of the book truly is the interaction with the size and scope of each animal depicted. The extra information in the glossary of animals at the end is just an added bonus, making this book relevant to young and old alike.
Full-Text Review
A new exploration of the biological world, from one of the current masters of collage, features life-size—not scaled—representations of the extremes of the animal kingdom. Wonderfully textured collages are set against a white background, accompanied by a minimal text gloss about the animals, and their sizes. Some are so huge that only parts can be seen (the one-foot-diameter eye of a giant squid) and others require some squinting (the 1/3-inch dwarf goby). It’s a fascinating subject, and one that will resonate with an audience for whom relative size is a matter of daily interest. Jenkins exploits it for all its worth, including a fold-out of a crocodile’s jaw and a snarling tiger whose face spills off the page. Four concluding pages provide more information about the featured animals, along with reasonably sized, full-body reiterations of the illustrations. Sadly enough, however, in a book that is so intimately concerned with measurement, only English units are used, seemingly ignoring the fact that the metric system is the universal language of science worldwide. A regrettable flaw in an otherwise outstanding offering. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-12)
Kirkus (2004). [Review for the book Actual size by S. Jenkins ]. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/steve-jenkins/actual-size/
Library Use
No comments:
Post a Comment