NONFICTION REVIEWS

Animals Nobody Loves By Seymour Simon

If a person bothers a Gila, it turns and snaps with lightning speed.  When the Gila bites, its jaws clamp down hard.  It sinks its teeth deep into the person and holds on like a bulldog.  Poison slowly flows through its mouth and into the victim.  Few people are bitten by Gila monsters - only those foolish enough to try to handle one.

Simon, Seymour. 2001. Animals Nobody Loves. New York: SeaStar Books. ISBN: 1-58717-079-5

With a menacing spider lurking on the front cover and a creepy bat haunting the back cover, this book will certainly circulate well.  Seymour Simon has filled yet another book with fascinating photos and riveting text about animals.  The creepiest, nastiest, and dangerous kind of animals, that is!  Open the book and come face to face with a mouth full of shark teeth!  If you flip a few more pages, you will see a hyena ripping apart a dead animal.  The photos in this book grab your attention and do not let go. Seymour Simon has won numerous awards for his work and he is well respected.  However, he fails to provide the sources he consulted while completing this project and accuracy is always the goal with nonfiction pieces.  The book is organized well and very suitable for browsing.  Kids will want to look at the captivating photos and the large text that accompanies the photos seems friendly.  Unfortunately, Seymour will not be changing any minds about these animals.  He fails to give reasons why we should like them and his question at the end, “ Do you feel differently about the animals in this book now that you know more about them,” will receive nothing but the answer “NO!”

What the Critics Have to Say... While the eyeballs-to-eyeballs cover of a tarantula in full color will keep readers reaching for the title, it is useful for browsing rather than research. No index or sources. - Kirkus Reviews There's no question this will look great on display, but it will serve kids best when it's presented with more fact-rich natural histories. - Booklist

Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance By Jennifer Armstrong

ALA Best Book for Young Adults Horn Book Honor Book 1999 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Winner

It is truly the most hostile environment this side of the moon.  Just imagine yourself stranded in such a place.  In 1915, a British crew of twenty-eight men was stranded there, with no ship and no way to contact the outside world.  They all survived...

Armstrong, Jennifer. 1998. Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance. New York: Crown Publishers, Inc. ISBN: 0-517-80013-6

Wow!  This is one of those books you cannot put down.  It grips your heart right from the start and will have you jumping for joy at the end.  Shipwreck At The Bottom Of The World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance is a story you will not forget.  Jennifer Armstrong does a spectacular job presenting the facts in a clear, logical, and mesmerizing way.  The black and white photos, maps, and illustrations contribute to the overall feel of the book.  You actually endure the despair, worries, and triumphs with the sailors as you journey deeper into the tale.  You will survive with the members of the crew and you will hate saying goodbye to them in the end.  The entire work is mere perfection.  Armstrong lists her sources and narrates the story with honesty, candor, and respect.  Her passion for this incredible adventure story is clearly shown in her use of words and placement of photos.  You will hear and feel the ship fall apart as she describes the scene.  “Planks began twisting out of place.  Amid the sounds of tortured wood were the howls and whines of the dogs.”  The book follows a logical path and it is meant to be read from start to finish.  You can browse through the photos and read captions but the book is more riveting if you take it all in at the same time.  You must get this one!

What the Critics Have to Say... An exceptional work of nonfiction for all libraries serving YAs.-  Kliatt The text moves from diary entries to explanations of how to read the sun, and the descriptions of the terrain and weather are superb. This is a very effective presentation of not only how the disaster occurred, but of the toll it took on the crew and how they rose to the challenge. - School Library Journal Armstrong vividly recreates an extraordinary story of adventure and survival: The early 20th-century expedition of Ernest Shackleton and the crew of the "Endurance", who attempted to be the first to cross the Antarctic continent from one side to the other.- Ingram This unbelievable story is enhanced by the vigorous prose; from the captivating introduction through the epilogue, it is the writing as much as the story that will rivet readers. The black-and-white photos, taken mostly on glass plates by the expedition's photographer, Frank Hurley, survived along with the men and are of exceptional quality. - Kirkus Reviews

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