Bibliographical citation:
O'Connell, C. & Jackson, D.M. (2011). The Elephant Scientist. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 70 pages. ISBN: 9780329926311.
Awards: ALA Notable Children's Books (2012), Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Honor (2012).
Author's website: http://www.caitlineoconnell.com/index.php
http://www.donnamjackson.net/
Annotation: Rich, candid photographs and a cohesive, fluent narrative provide an exciting and comprehensive study of elephants in their natural environment. O'Connell's enthusiasm for her research is evident and infectious as she explores the complexity of these great land animals.
Personal Reaction: The combination of Caitlin O'Connell's passion for the study of elephants and the artistry of her photographs is what makes this book so intriguing and enjoyable. O'Connell's love for these (mostly) gentle giants shows in this documented study. This title explains and defines every aspect of elephant culture in great detail. The fact that every page contains beautiful photographs depicting exactly what is being described helps readers to understand the science in this research. Of course this title was written for kids, but I feel that it does such an excellent job of explaining and then proving the scientific theory of how elephants interpret the vibrations that they feel with their feet. I honestly don't think that I would understand it otherwise. O'Connell and her team spent countless hours investigating, studying, and analyzing the movements and reactions of these elephants, and it shows in this thorough yet uncomplicated representation. Each photograph links readers to the narrative and captures their attention.
Where I initially thought of elephants individually, I now understand how they function as families or family units. Every action that each individual elephant takes has to do with the entire group. They take care of their own and work together to find food and to keep each other safe. Until now, I never appreciated that elephants are amazingly intelligent and compassionate creatures.
Front/Back Matter: Acknowledgements, Photo Credits, Map of observation area, Table of Contents, Explorations (other resources such as books, dvds, web links and videos of experiments), Pachyderm Terms, Selected Source Notes, Index.
*Bibliographical citation information, award information, as well as image retrieved from www.bwibooks.com (Titletales)
No comments:
Post a Comment