Animals Upside Down: A Pull, Pop, Lift & Learn Book!

by Steve Jenkins, Robin Page, Steve Jenkins (Illustrator)

Overview

The three-toed sloth is topsy-turvy most of the time. The upside-down jellyfish rests on its back to feed. Skunks do stink-warning headstands and mallards upend in this colorful, interactive exploration of the hows and whys of upside-down animal behavior. Striking, texture-rich, cut-paper artwork by the Caldecott Honor artist Steve Jenkins reveals how, for most animals, an occasional flip or dip is a matter of survival! (The fascinating glossary of twenty-six creatures is best read right-side up.)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547341279
Publisher:	Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date:	08/27/2013
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	8.36(w) x 9.18(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	AD950L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Robin Page lives in Boulder, Colorado, with her husband and collaborator, Steve Jenkins, and their three children. Along with writing and illustrating children's books, Steve and Robin run a graphic design studio.

Editorial Reviews

Leave it to Jenkins and Page to find another novel take on the animal kingdom—using tabs, wheels, and pop-ups, they examine numerous reasons that more than two dozen animals turn themselves upside down or stick their tails in the air. Hanging from its long, scaly tail, a pangolin swings (via tab) to reach a termite nest; a flamingo “feeds with its head turned upside down,” using its beak as a filter; and a sparrow hawk can flip over midflight to grab its prey. Jenkins’s cut/torn-paper collages show his customary skill and precision, and the pages fairly burst with intriguing details of unusual animal behavior. Expect kids to flip. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Leave it to Jenkins and Page to find another novel take on the animal kingdom—using tabs, wheels, and pop-ups, they examine numerous reasons that more than two dozen animals turn themselves upside down or stick their tails in the air."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"This book will have wide appeal, thanks to the digestible text and the vivid illustrations."
—School Library Journal

"The animals are all rendered with typically amazing accuracy from pieces of cut and torn paper. . . . A treat for eye and mind alike, besides being suitable for displays and durable enough to stand up to plend of hands-on use."
—Kirkus, starred review

From the Publisher

10/01/2013
Gr 2–4—Jenkins and Page have assembled a fun array of animals that, for various reasons, view the world upside down. From beetles and snakes to birds and sloths, readers are treated to accessible, interesting nuggets of text that explain how this bottoms-up perspective is used to advantage. A male bird of paradise hangs upside down to display his vivid plumage to attract a mate, while a trumpet fish floats head down, looking like sea grass or soft coral and lunging at unsuspecting prey. The three-toed sloth is able to keep a death grip on branches-literally-as its claws lock so tightly that it can remain hanging even after death. Critters like the hog-nosed snake, which lies on its back and secretes a foul-smelling liquid from its rear end and blood from its mouth in response to threats, provide a gross-out element that is always a hit. The informative tidbits accompany large images of the animals rendered in Jenkins's trademark cut- and torn-paper collage artwork that pops against ample white space. The only quibble is that some of the pull tabs and flaps are rather underwhelming. With interactive books, the quality of engagement should be well worth the shorter shelf life pretty much guaranteed by the wear and tear on the parts. However,-the overall effort more than compensates for any features that are a bit anticlimactic. This book will have wide appeal, thanks to the digestible but fascinating text and the vivid illustrations.—Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR

School Library Journal

★ 2013-10-09
More than 26 creatures flip, twist, swivel or simply pose upside down in this neatly laid-out gallery of nature's acrobats. A fruit bat and a male bird of paradise pop up to hover gracefully over double-page spreads, but most of Jenkins' animals move laterally or switch positions with the pull of a tab or lift of a flap. From a pangolin swinging by its tail to reach a termite's nest and a sparrow hawk twisting in midair to seize a bird from underneath to a net-casting spider dropping a webby trap over a passing fly, the movements are small but consistently natural-looking. The animals are all rendered with typically amazing accuracy from pieces of cut and torn paper. Captions that themselves sometimes curve or stand on their heads identify each animal and comment on how upending helps it to, usually, capture or to keep from becoming food (more information about each is provided on the closing spread). On a lighter note, to cap the lot, a simple but ingenious sliding panel even flips a human silhouette, as "sometimes going topsy-turvy is just for fun!" A treat for eye and mind alike, besides being suitable for displays and durable enough to stand up to plenty of hands-on use. (Informational pop-up. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews