BIGGEST, STRONGEST, FASTEST

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jenkins, Steve.  1995. Biggest, Strongest, Fastest.  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  ISBN: 0395697018

 

PLOT SUMMARY

Animals can be record holders just like people.  Jenkins tells about fourteen animals that hold a record for being the biggest and smallest, fastest and slowest, strongest and longest animals. The strongest animal is an ant which can amazingly carry a load five times its own weight.  The smallest mammal is the Etruscan shrew which can surprisingly fit in a teaspoon.  The cheetah is by far the fastest animal which can reach a speedy 60 miles an hour.  The land snail is the slowest animal with a whooping speed of 8 inches in a minute.  The author includes interesting facts about each animal in a chart at the end of the book.  The chart includes facts like the animals name,  record, size, diet, and range. 

 

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Jenkins did a great job comparing the animals to actual everyday items that the children can relate to.  He compared the Etruson shrew, the smallest animal, to an adults hand to show its size and  to a ping pong ball to compare the shrew's weight to.   He included a great visual to show how an ant can carry five times its own weight and a strong human can carry something that equals its own weight.  The pictures where great to look at and the color contrasts are very catchy.  The animals are in bright colors that stand out and the back ground is in lighter colors.  For example the largest kind of spider is black with a yellow background which is very enlightening to the eye. Great book with great information/facts for young children

 

AWARDS AND REVIEW EXCERPTS

Awards

-The Children's Literature Choice List, 1996 Children's Literature; United States
-Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 1995
-American Library Association-Booklist Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, 1996 National Science Teachers Association
-Recommended Literature: Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, 2002 California Department of Education
-1998 Washington Childrens' Choice Picture Book Award
Reviews
Large, clear print; fascinating facts; and beautiful, detailed, cut-paper collages make this excellent title a delight. Silhouette drawings show comparative sizes — the blue whale is shown next to an adult human. The realistic, inventive, textured illustrations, mostly double spreads, flow smoothly from page to page. An all-round superlative effort.  --School Library Journal
 

"Here's proof that power isn't just about size and that science can be a lot of fun." --Booklist

 

CONNECTIONS

1) Read Highest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest also by Steve Jenkins and  come up with antonyms and synonyms for the words cold, high, deep, high, big, strong, and fast. 

2) Have the students sort pictures of different animals as either big, strong, or fast.

3) Ask the following comprehension questions:

Why is this a good title for the books?

How does the information fit what you already know?

How are the text features used to convey the information?