Status
Available
Local notes
595.44 Mon
Collection
Series
Genres
Publication
HMH Books for Young Readers (2004), 80 pages
Description
Describes the research that Samuel Marshall and his students are doing on tarantulas, including the largest spider on earth, the Goliath birdeating tarantula.
Subjects
Awards
Texas Bluebonnet Award (Nominee — 2004)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Informational Books — 2007)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2007)
Sasquatch Book Award (Nominee — 2007)
Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (Nominee)
Riverby Awards (Winner — 2005)
Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal (Honor Book — 2005)
CCBC Choices (2005)
Notable Children's Book (2005)
Original language
English
Original publication date
2004-03-23
Physical description
80 p.; 11 inches
User reviews
LibraryThing member SarahCoil
Sam Marshall is a tarantula scientist. He observes and studies the various types of tarantulas. This book explains the different types of tarantulas and their habitation. Sam explores to find these tarantulas and the book explains their history and provides a good amount of information about them.
I
This book was very informative. It is not very pleasurable to read, but would be great for classroom purposes. However, some people may be more interested in learning about tarantula than I am. It may just be the subject that I am not too fond of.
I
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would use this book in some types of science class, possibly some type of animal biology. I would ask students to pick which tarantula interests them the most and do some more research on it. I would then ask them to present what they found to the class. I would also have students discuss how they would like to have Sam Marshall’s jobs and what they think would be the hardest part about it.This book was very informative. It is not very pleasurable to read, but would be great for classroom purposes. However, some people may be more interested in learning about tarantula than I am. It may just be the subject that I am not too fond of.
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LibraryThing member oldbookswine
Excellent sceince books for young readers. Pictures are wonderful and career information is excellent.
LibraryThing member katrinafroelich
Extensive, detailed information about Sam Marshall's study of Tarantulas. This book is captivating for a spider-enthusiast. Photographs capture every detail, and almost appear to jump from the page. The text is heavy and wordy but attempts to be accessible for a young reader. Although informative,
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it is occasionally too detailed -- and as a reader I am tempted to skip over it and read the photo captions. Show Less
LibraryThing member kimbrady
This is part of the "Scientists in the Field" series published by Houghton Mifflin. It follows an arachnologist from Ohio into the rainforest of French Guiana in South America. The text is written with personality and humor, but remains informative and factual. Plenty of great, close-up photographs
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of tarantulas and people studying them. Besides appealing to the "gross" factor, this book gives insight into what real scientists look like and do while they work. Although the text is not difficult to understand, there is a fair amount of it, so this book is more appropriate for middle to upper elementary ages. I would recommend this title for a school library or public children's collection. Show Less
LibraryThing member mlcraft
Full color illustrations about a scientist who is determined to know more about the frightening tarantulas. The book takes the readers to a science labratory where the spiders are studied and defined as incredible creatures.
LibraryThing member amandacb
Boys will be fascinated with this account of hunting tarantulas in South America as told by Sy Montgomery. Photographs accompany every page, and Montgomery intersperses dramatic confrontations with tarantulas with useful scientific information. This book would also be great to read excerpts from
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for a science unit. Show Less
LibraryThing member atlomas
I do not really like spiders at all so that is why I picked this book. Now that I know a bit more about them, I am a little more comfortable. This book is full of interesting Tarantula facts.
LibraryThing member SJoachim
This book follows the scientist on his travels while studying tarantulas. It touches on the importance of spiders in our lives, and why we need to protect them.
LibraryThing member breksarah
This is a story about a scientist and his tryst exploring spiders. It mainly follows tarantulas but explains why spiders are important and the types of things spiders do that are beneficial.
LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Design points: loose tarantulas on the pages--shudder! Graphically captivating layout if rather horrific photos. But that's the appeal to young readers. Plenty of wow facts to keep kids reading. Informal tone, excitement of the science. Describes science in an unstuffy way...storing spiders in
Booktalk: How many of you love tarantulas? (Show best picture from book.) Let me tell you about a man who is so passionate about tarantulas that his job is to get up close and personal with them and study how they behave, where they live, what they eat. Sam Marshall is a spider scientist who works in a spider lab full of containers holding five hundred live tarantulas. But he doesn't just work in a lab. Sam also travels to countries wehre lots of tarantulas live. In a South American rainforest Sam will poke into burrows in the ground trying to get tarantulas to come running out so he can capture them. Now this may not be your idea of a good time. But by studying tarantulas, Sam has learned a lot of interesting things about them. Such as tarantulas bites don't kill people. And that tarantulas would rather hide than attack you. And if a tarantula's leg is injured, it will pull it off and eat it! And although you might think a tarantula is a pretty scary creature, it might someday save your life. There are studies looking into whether a tarantula's venom might help heart attack victims or stop the growth of brain tumors...(finish somehow)
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salad and candy containers, using paint from Wal-Mart to mark spiders, poking sticks into holes and Sam talking to the spiders.Booktalk: How many of you love tarantulas? (Show best picture from book.) Let me tell you about a man who is so passionate about tarantulas that his job is to get up close and personal with them and study how they behave, where they live, what they eat. Sam Marshall is a spider scientist who works in a spider lab full of containers holding five hundred live tarantulas. But he doesn't just work in a lab. Sam also travels to countries wehre lots of tarantulas live. In a South American rainforest Sam will poke into burrows in the ground trying to get tarantulas to come running out so he can capture them. Now this may not be your idea of a good time. But by studying tarantulas, Sam has learned a lot of interesting things about them. Such as tarantulas bites don't kill people. And that tarantulas would rather hide than attack you. And if a tarantula's leg is injured, it will pull it off and eat it! And although you might think a tarantula is a pretty scary creature, it might someday save your life. There are studies looking into whether a tarantula's venom might help heart attack victims or stop the growth of brain tumors...(finish somehow)
Show Less
LibraryThing member quondame
A bit to golly aren't tarantulas amazing. They are and don't need any condescending praise. Lots of pictures, references and an index.
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Lexile
890L
Pages
80