The Tarantula Scientist

The Tarantula Scientist

Written by Sy Montgomery and Photographed by Nic Bishop

Accessed October 30th, 2013

http://www.hmhco.com/shop/books/the-tarantula-scientist/9780618147991#

Summary

The Tarantula Scientist is an information packed book that follows arachnologist Sam Marshall as he gathers information from around the globe to both study tarantulas and bring awareness to this mysterious, misunderstood spider.

Critical Analysis

            The Tarantula Scientist follows Sam Marshall, one of four arachnologist who specialize in tarantulas in the whole world, as he studies theses magnificent spiders. By setting The Tarantula Scientist around a credible scientist who is at the top of his field, readers understand that the information contained in this book is accurate, fact checked and incredibly current – there are discoveries made on the behavior of tarantulas during the writing process of this book! The Tarantula Scientist is chocked full of maps, facts, diagrams and a whole section that is dedicated to explaining how the book was researched. The Tarantula Scientist contains an index, a bibliography, a list of spider terminology (Spider Speak), and update on Sam Marshall and his research, an extra list of spider stats (as if the book didn’t have enough!), a list of web resources for learning more about tarantulas, information on French Guiana (where a large portion of the book takes place) and information for individuals who are so in love with tarantulas that they want to buy one as a pet!

            The organization of the Tarantula Scientist is logical and readable and is organized in such a way that it follows the flow of scientific discovery – field research, lab research, collaboration and advocacy. The progression of the book allows readers to build upon knowledge acquired at the beginning of the book and to expand their knowledge from just spider facts to incorporate that knowledge into a budding foundation of ecology and conservation. Readers discover the scientific process of research and taxonomy and how their own everyday observations can become part of that scientific process. The Tarantula Scientist even goes so far as to inform readers of how to spider watch in their own community and offers tips, such as the best time of day to observe spiders, so that readers can act on the spider passion that the book instills. The clear chapters break down the information into entertaining readable segments that are tied together by Sam Marshall’s quest to learn more about the population and habits of the Goliath Tarantula. On nearly every page, in burnt sienna colored text, Montgomery peppers the book with relevant exciting facts that support each chapter’s subject.

            The photographs within The Tarantula Scientist are spectacular! Vivid close-ups of tarantulas provide a crisp colorful look at these mysterious spiders. The quality of the photographs provides readers with a rare perspective of these shy spiders and illustrates the hard work that Sam Marshall goes to in order to study these spiders in their natural habitat. The photographs are large, often taking up more than one page and capture the tarantulas from absolutely every angle possible.

Writer Sy Montgomery pulls no punches when providing a complete look at tarantulas as a species or the scientists who study them. Sy is in her own right a naturalist, a documentarian, a journalist and author of award winning nonfiction for children and adults. Sy Montgomery has been awarded the 2000 International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award for nonfiction for The Snake Scientist (which was also an Orbis Pictus Honor Book) and her book The Man-Eating Tigers of Sundarbans was a 2001 Booklist Editors Choice. Montgomery’s partner in the Tarantula Scientist is photographer Nic Bishop. Bishop holds a PHD in Biology and is a decorated photographer whose books have garnered an ALA Notable Book award, a Smithsonian Notable Book award and a 2000 School Library Journal Best Book Award. Between these two decorated individuals, coupled with Sam Marshall’s knowledge and expertise, and the knowledge of Marshall’s students and fellow scientists, readers come away from The Tarantula Scientist with a balanced perspective of what these amazing spiders are truly like (keep in mind that Sam Marshall has never been bitten by a tarantula!) along with a new respect that helps separate the fear and the legend from the reality of the amazing tarantula.

Connections

While I generally try and use this section of my reviews for making connections between books, the wealth of information available in The Tarantula Scientist has inspired me to touch on this particular title and the connections that this book has to offer. The Tarantula Scientist prompts readers to explore not only spiders but also the habitats of these amazing creatures. Readers, teachers, parents and caretakers can follow the clear printed links to learn more about the habitats of these amazing spiders from French Guiana to right here in the United States! Teacher resources are also available for free through the publishing company’s website along with recommended reading for those interested in owning a tarantula of their very own!

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 consider the top books of the year.

Reviews

Horn Book Magazine (07/01/2004):
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. The additional profiles of undergraduates in the lab illustrate manageable projects, inviting young readers to imagine themselves as researchers someday (and the students profiled are women, helping to dispel any stereotypes about which gender likes spiders). Unlike other books in the series, the discussion of Marshall's childhood and initial interest in science is brief. The color photography is outstanding, and so very interesting that even the squeamish may take a second look at the glossy and hairy tarantulas portrayed in close detail in both their natural and laboratory habitats. Appended material includes a list of websites, a bibliography, a glossary, and an index

Booklist (03/15/2004):
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. This time they venture to the French Guiana rain forest, where they follow arachnologist Sam Marshall on his quest for his favorite quarry: tarantulas. Enthusiasm for the subject and respect for both Marshall and his eight-legged subjects come through on every page of the clear, informative, and even occasionally humorous text. Bishop's full-color photos, which concentrate on detail, not scale, are amazing--Marshall coaxing an elusive tarantula into the open or bringing readers literally face-to-face with a hairy spider. The section on students' research seems tacked on, but it adds an interesting sidelight to the book, which is longer and richer in both text and illustrations than others in the Scientists in the Field series. 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.

           

References

Booklist 03/15/2004 pg. 1304 (EAN 9780618147991, Hardcover)

Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2004 pg. 469 (EAN 9780618147991, Hardcover)

Montgomery, Sy. 2004. The Tarantula Scientist. Photographed by Nic Bishop. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 0618147993