What Do You Do with a
Tail Like This?
Authors: Steve Jenkins & Robin Page
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-0618997138
Genre: Children's Non-fiction
Topic: Animal Anatomy
4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁
Why 4 Roars? This is a cute book, but the information is very generalized. The reading level is given as 4 - 7 years. I am unsure of how much new information a child over the age of 5 would learn. I think it is directed at a younger audience.
Critical Analysis
Accuracy:
The information is simple and easy to fact-check. The book presents simple statements like, "if you're a monkey, you hang from a tree by your tail" and " if you're an eagle, you spot tiny animals from high in the air."
The authors are a husband-and-wife team that own a graphic design studio. Steve Jenkins is a well-known children's non-fiction writer and illustrator.
Organization:
The book is organized into a simple layout. It starts by asking a question and then answering it on the next page. At the end of the book, it offers an extra paragraph of information and a small illustration of the animals discussed in the book.
Design:
The design presents lovely cut-paper animal collage illustrations to keep a young learner's attention. It asks the reader a question, and younger readers will enjoy guessing at what is coming next. It could easily be turned into a guessing game or making predictions.
Style:
I think the author best describes his style in his own words below:
"Every book begins with pages—often many pages—of notes and rough sketches. It is during this part of the process that lists of possible subjects are made and modified, and we begin to explore the relationship between images and text on the book's pages. These quick, rough notes make it easy to consider lots of different approaches. At this stage, it's also relatively painless to throw out ideas that don't seem to be working." ~~ Steve Jenkins
Awards:
Caldecott Honor
Connections:
