Informational Text-Review 1

1.BIBLIOGRPAHY
Montgomery, Sy. 2004. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST. Photographs by Nic Bishop. Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin Co. ISBN 0618147993

2.PLOT SUMMARY
Author Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop accompany Sam Marshall, a tarantula scientist and professor of biology, into the jungles of French Guinea in South America in his quest to learn more about tarantulas. One of the major species addressed is the Queen Goliath, of which very, very little is still known by arachnologists.
Through their expeditions, readers explore the world of a variety of tarantulas, their classifications used by scientists, how they compare with each other, and the need to preserve them. The author provides insight into the mating, eating, molting, and webbing behaviors of tarantulas and arachnids in general. Readers are also invited into Sam Marshall’s, laboratory in Hiram College, Ohio where he and his students participate in the study of about 500 live tarantulas from around the world. Sam and 2 of his students share the inquisitive dialogue that guides their exploration and passion about tarantulas.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The textual information provided in this nonfiction book for young adults and adults is based on the gained field expertise of Sam Marshall, an assistant professor of biology in Ohio since 1999 and director of J.H. Barrow Field Station, a laboratory where a collection of tarantulas make their home. Sam Marshall is also author of Tarantulas and Other Arachnids (2001) and co-author of Florida’s Fabulous Spiders (2001). The organization of the book is not inclusive of a table of contents or numbered chapters, which would have been helpful on previewing and navigating through the book. It is organized in a sequential manner, trekking along Mr. Marshall’s route of discovery in French Guinea then back to his laboratory in Ohio.
There are chapters with subtitles, but for the reader who has not begun reading from the beginning of the book it would seem confusing. To provide some quality to the organization, the last 4 pages are inclusive of a defined listing of common terms used by arachnologists, spider statistics, tips and advice for readers interested in tarantulas, and additional resources such as a bibliography and websites.
The photographic quality meets criteria for design. Photographer Nic Bishop supplies a variety of close up photographs of varied tarantulas, Sam Marshall in action, and students at work in the Spider Lab in Ohio. Each double-page spread includes some type of well selected photograph and caption written in auburn colored text to distinguish it from the body text. The tarantula photographs are so real to life that upon returning to the open book to continue reading after a break, I was actually frightened by what I thought was a real spider resting on top of my desk.
Sy Montgomery’s style of writing relinquishes the serious, factual tone often found in informational texts. His writing is fresh, unpompous, and captivatingly delivered in a conversational style as is exemplified from the following excerpt: “You’re probably thinking just what Sam was thinking at the time:…” and “What happened? You guessed it.”

4.REVIEW (EXCERPTS)
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL- “Informative, yes, but even more important, this is a vivid look at an enthusiastic scientist energetically and happily at work, both in the field and in the lab, questioning, examining, testing, and making connections. A treat, even for arachnophobes.”

BOOKLIST-“ 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.”

5.CONNECTIONS
-Use as a model of inquisitive thinking done by scientists.
- Visit websites provided by author to learn more about “Spiders on the web”.
-Go to www.hiram.edu/majors/special_jam_research.asp. ,a web page at Sam Marshall’s college to find out about Sam, his students, and his Spider Lab.