4- Nonfiction
Bibliography: Jenkins, S. (2009). Actual Size. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
ISBN-13 : 978-0547512914
Plot Summary: Can you close your eyes and imagine the enormous size of a giant squid’s eye? Or just how long is the tongue of an anteater really is? Do you think you could hold a pygmy mouse lemur in the palm of your hands? Actual Size by Steve Jenkins lets you answer these question by seeing for yourself. The book is filled with 18 animals that you can compare and witness in their actual size. Steve Jenkins once again gives us a very creative informational book that will grab any reader’s attention with its beautiful illustrations and interesting facts. Each animal pictured includes a fun description as well as a numerical measurement. The book ends with a small paragraph for each animal.
Analysis:
Words that describe animals can be so subjective. To a young learner; dwarf, goliath, giant, pygmy can be so many different sizes. Actual size gives the perfect visual for readers to see for themselves. Starting with the cover, a reader can see the size comparison of two animals. One so small it fits on the thumb of another. The book also includes a very striking fold out of a salt water crocodile’s mouth with a goliath frog on the back of the page. Readers will love this feature for the dramatic view they will need to see to believe. Each animal includes one simple factual sentence. Under each sentence a measurement is written in a smaller font. This is the perfect tease to give readers before they find even more information about each animal at the end of the book. This book can be read page by page or skimmed through and looked at out of order. It lends itself well to any measurement lesson.
The illustrations have so much depth to them. They almost appear to be made of torn paper glued on top of each-other. The texture is only amplified by the stark white background on each page. That background is intentionally lost on the very biggest of the animals. The massive Siberian Tiger’s face takes up every inch of two pages as does the eye of the giant squid. In the final pages of the book the reader will be able to see the animal in its full drawn (not to actual size) glory.
Reviews:
“A thoroughly engaging read-aloud and a must-have for any collection.” School Library Journal
“Jenkins’ artwork is gorgeous (a gatefold of a frog in midleap is particularly memorable)… An unusual, unusually effective tool for connecting children to nature’s astonishing variety.” -Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
Awards: As listed on Children’s Literature Comprehensive Database;
- Arizona Young Readers’ Award, 2006, Winner, Non Fiction
- Beehive Book Award, 2006, Winner, Informational
- Books of the Year, 2004, Winner, Ages (2 to 4)
- English 4-11 Picture Book Award, 2007, Short List, Picture Book
- Garden State Children’s Book Award, 2007, Winner, Non Fiction
- Grand Canyon Reader Award, 2006, Winner, Non Fiction
- Great Lakes Great Books Award, 2007, Honor Book, Grades K-1
- Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 2005, Honor Book
Connections:
In groups or partners, have students use an animal (or animal part) to compare with items in the classroom.
Introduce (or reinforce) the concept of “greater than/ less than” using the animals in the book and the students in the class.
Pair with other Steve Jenkins books: *What Do You Do With a Tail Like That? ISBN-13 : 978-0618997138. *Biggest, Strongest, Fastest ISBN-13 : 978-0395861363. *What Do You Do With a Tail Like That? ISBN-13 : 978-0618997138
Accommodations:
Give students a tangible object for animals in the book. For example, a piece of yarn the length of an anteater’s tongue that they can walk around and compare with things in their world.
Make National Geographic For Kids accessible to explore. Encourage students to make their own Actual Size drawing.
Li-Berry-ian 