What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?

September 17, 2001

"In this absorbing tribute to nature's genius, cut-paper collages illustrate the built-in defenses of animals and insects," wrote PW. Ages 4-8.

March 24, 2003
Steve Jenkins contributes another artistically wrought, imaginatively conceived look at the natural world. What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? by Jenkins and wife Robin Page, stages a guessing game. Illustrated with Jenkins's trademark cut-paper art, one spread will show animals' tails (or noses, ears, etc.) as text asks variations of the titular question; turn the page, and the whole bodies of the animals are shown as answers are supplied ("If you're a lizard, you break off your tail to get away"; "If you're a scorpion, your tail can give a nasty sting"). Four pages of illustrated endnotes deliver meaty profiles of the 30 featured creatures.

Starred review from March 1, 2003
K-Gr 4-Jenkins, this time in collaboration with his wife, has created yet another eye-opening book. Children will learn that lizards can completely break off their tail as a defense and that it will grow back. And, they'll find out that crickets' ears are on their knees. Most fish have two eyes, but some have four, the better to see above and below the water at the same time. These are just a few of the fascinating facts of nature dangled out front to draw readers into this beautifully illustrated book. On each spread, five different animals' tails, ears, eyes, or other body parts, done in vibrant cut-paper collage, appear with a simple question ("What do you do with a- like this?"). The next spread shows the five creatures in their entirety and offers a brief explanation. For example, "If you're an elephant, you use your nose to give yourself a bath." The back pages offer more information for older or more curious readers. This is a great book for sharing one-on-one or with a group.-Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2004
K-Gr 4-Colorful cut-paper collages provide glimpses of the noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouths, and feet of different creatures, showing that each one uses these body parts in a unique and fascinating manner. Combining a guessing game with factual tidbits, the text offers an attention-grabbing introduction to animal physiology.

Copyright 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from February 15, 2003
PreS-Gr. 2. Here's another exceptional cut-paper science book from Jenkins, this time put together with a partner, and like previous books, it's a stunner. An opening page, clearly explaining how to use the book, is followed by a double-page spread picturing the mouths of several different animals, accompanied by the question, "What do you do with a mouth like this?" The next spread shows each animal in full, explaining in a few simple words how the part functions. Tail, ears, nose, and eyes are covered in the same manner. A picture glossary at the back shows each animal again, postage-stamp size, with an informative note elaborating on the creature's special adaptation. The notes also neatly answer questions that might arise during a reading (Why " do" horned lizards squirt blood out their eyes?) and add to the interactive aspect of the book. A variety of animals is represented--some (elephant, hippo, chimp) will be comfortably familiar; others (four-eyed fish, blue-footed booby) are of interest because of their strangeness. Jenkins' handsome paper-cut collages are both lovely and anatomically informative, and their white background helps emphasize the particular feature, be it the bush baby's lustrous, liquid-brown eyes or the skunk's fuzzy tail. This is a striking, thoughtfully created book with intriguing facts made more memorable through dynamic art. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

October 27, 1997
In this absorbing tribute to nature's genius, cut-paper collages illustrate the built-in defenses of animals and insects. Using collage to represent a diverse range of critters from the leathery lizard to the airy silkmoth, Jenkins (Big and Little) artfully matches handmade papers to fur, feathers, scales and skin. The artistic diversity is surpassed only by the animals' modes of escape--such as camouflage (a harmless hoverfly takes on a wasp's appearance), surprise (a skink flashes its bright blue tongue and wags it side to side), chemical warfare (a bombardier beetle shoots poison out of its rear end) and even levitation (a basilisk lizard runs on water). Although the forthright text lacks the dexterity of the collages, the high interest of the subject matter is sure to delight readers--and may prompt them to discover more about the intelligence, humor, eccentricity and stamina to be found in nature. This is the kind of book that awakens the scientist in young readers. Ages 4-8.

July 1, 2003
Cut-paper collages of animals and close-ups of their noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouths, and feet set against white backgrounds invite readers to think about animal adaptations. Unifying questions focus on the part and its purpose ("What would you do with feet like these?"); the whole animal is shown on the next page with an explanation of how the part is used. Information at the back of the book adds details on each animal.

(Copyright 2003 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)