Unit 4 Review - Actual Size

 

Bibliographic Information

Jenkins, Steve. 2004. ACTUAL SIZE. New York : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-547-25554-5

Plot Summary

In this visually stunning picture book, Caldecott Medalist Steve Jenkins illustrates animals both large and small at actual size. How big is a crocodile? What about a tiger, or the world’s largest spider? Can you imagine a tongue that is two feet long or an eye that’s bigger than your head? Sometimes facts and figures don’t tell the whole story. Sometimes you need to see things for yourself—at their actual size.

Critical Analysis

Opening with the lines, “Did you ever look a giant squid in the eye? Have you shaken hands with a gorilla or been face to face with a tiger? All of the animals in this book are shown at actual size, so you can see how you measure up to creatures both large and small.” Actual Size by Steve Jenkins is a beautiful representation of just how big (or tiny) some of the creatures on our earth actually are, and how small humans can be next to them! The accuracy of the cut-paper collage critters in this story are both breathtaking and simple. Laying your hand on top of a gorilla's hand, who can reach 5 ½ feet tall and over 600 pounds, makes the reader realize how insignificant we would be if we were to come face to face with these living beasts. Reading this with my 4 year old, she was absolutely delighted to compare her tiny hand to the different beings within the book, her favorite being the giant squid whose tentacles can reach up to 59 feet long with eyes measuring around 12 inches across. 

While the text throughout the story is simple, one sentence per page, Steve Jenkins made sure to include more detailed descriptions of each animal at the back of the book to give the reader more information and showcasing that he did his research. This informational book does an excellent job of putting the actual sizes of many animals that most of us will never come into contact with into the reader's perspective. These are animals that we surely have read about or heard about at some point, but sometimes it can be hard to visualize what an animal would really look like up close from just a definition or encyclopedia entry. The book features gatefold pages and colorful illustrations that are attractive and inviting for any age of reader to enjoy. 

Awards Won & Review Excerpt(s)

*Child magazine's Best Children's Book Awards 2004

*Booklist, ALA, starred review: "Jenkins' artwork is gorgeous (a gatefold of a frog in mid leap is particularly memorable)... An unusual, unusually effective tool for connecting children to nature's astonishing variety."

*The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review: "Jenkins' imaginative paper collages work their usual magic in transcending their medium to capture the spirit and detail of their subjects. The real triumph here, however, is the compositions...the book makes brilliantly creative use of its tight focus, resulting in startling closeups."

Connections

*This is a great book to use when going over measurement. Give each child a ruler and have them measure their own hands, feet, fingers, etc. Choose a few animals from the book. Tell the students the animal's size. Have the students look at their ruler and decide if they could measure it or not. If not, have the class use a tape measure to show how long/tall the animal really is.(you may need to go outside)

*Draw life-size models of the three animals with chalk. The children can draw the

animals individually or together.

*Read other books by Steve Jenkins: 

WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A TAIL LIKE THIS? ISBN 978-0618997138

BIGGEST, STRONGEST, FASTEST. ISBN 978-0395861363

NEVER SMILE AT A MONKEY. ISBN 978-0544228016