Book Review - The Tarantula Scientist

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Montgomery, Sy. (2007). Photographs by Nic Bishop. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST. Houghton Mifflin Company. ISBN 9780618915774

2. PLOT SUMMARY

This book by Sy Montgomery follows a tarantula scientist Sam Marshall and his exploration through the rainforest in French Guiana. Montgomery details tarantula facts along with Marshall’s tasks as a scientist to help preserve, study, and help these creatures.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This nonfiction book is full of facts that the author has put together by focusing his story around the scientist Sam Marshall. The author uses Marshall’s research methods and dialogue to help explain tarantula habitats, behavior, and physical features. For example, when describing spider behavior the author uses Marshall’s dialogue, “Ooh, she’s reared up, and not very pleased with me.” This shows a tarantula’s reaction when it feels threatened, providing facts without listing them out in a mundane manner. This book also includes tarantula facts at the end of a few chapters that includes information on what makes a tarantula different from a spider, when to observe arachnids, and knowledge of their silk and how they use it to build their homes. This additional information is unrelated to the scientist’s research and is differentiated from the main story by having an orange border around the pages. Providing these extra details helps readers gain more insight into arachnids and covers facts that may have been missed or were not talked about in depth in the main story.

The pictures themselves depict Marshall conducting his research in the rainforest and in the lab, show different species of tarantulas in various states of their behavior, and include some different insects found in the rainforest such as scorpions and stick bugs. These photographs are abundant and keep the reader engaged with real depictions that they are able to analyze. There’s also a diagram examining the anatomy of a tarantula, providing insight into their body parts and how they are used. This nonfiction book is appropriate for upper elementary and middle school readers. The pictures on every page make the text easy to digest and not feel overwhelming while still providing important information about tarantulas and the scientists passionate about studying them.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

THE ROBERT F. SIBERT INFORMATIONAL BOOK MEDAL
NOTABLE CHILDREN’S BOOKS
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW: “It’s enough to make Miss Muffet fall in love”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Students could detail how to take care of a tarantula using the websites and resources in the back of the book to show their understanding of tarantulas.
*Students could research and find tarantula scientists located near them and write to them appreciating their studies

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