Down, Down, Down

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/down-down-down-steve-jenkins/1100303638

Jenkins, Steve. 2009. Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0-618-96636-6.


Summary

This book takes the reader on a journey from the ocean's surface to the sea floor encountering unusual creatures along the way.

Critical Analysis

Steve Jenkins, award-winning author of numerous children's nonfiction titles, has created another quality informational book with Down, Down, Down. The bibliography included in the back of the book, along with further descriptions of the animals found on each page, both assure the accuracy of the information and allow readers to find more reading material on the same subject. Jenkins avoids theory and only states the fact in his text, which is correctly represented by his illustrations.

Down, Down, Down has a clear sequence and a logical layout that readers will easily follow. His book follows a pattern of top to bottom as information is presented from the ocean's surface to the sea floor. There is a bar running down the right hand side of each double page spread that indicates the depth of the sea at each stage. In the back of the book, the creatures on each page are given a number with corresponding information about each one, and diagrams show the size of each these creatures compared to an adult human body or hand. Another interesting chart at the back of the book shows the reader what person, equipment, or vessel could reach each level of the sea.

The design of Jenkins' book invites the reader to explore the levels of the sea in his attractive and readable book. The collage artwork fits the depictions of the sea creatures well, and create an interesting and appropriate complement to the text. The illustrations on the page are well placed and the pages feel spacious and uncluttered like their ocean subject, while each page has a darker and darker background clearly and effectively explaining the amount of light at each sea level.

The use of bright colors on dark backgrounds in the collage artwork of Down, Down, Down create a interesting and visual lively informational book that will be appeal to children. Jenkins provides just enough information on each page, and sticks to language appropriate to the reading levels of the book's target age group. Jenkins has a talent for highlighting the information children will find most fascinating, such as bioluminescence and fierce battles of sperm whales and giant squid. Additional information provided about each creature encourages more reading and critical thinking from readers.

Reviews

Booklist, April 01, 2009,  states, "In this plunge into the deep, Jenkins displays his usual keen awareness of what is fascinating about biology and imparts it without sensationalism the facts speak for themselves. Light becomes an impossibility only a tiny fraction of the way down into the ocean, and the deeper this book goes, the darker the palette and the scarier and stranger the beast encountered."

The April 01, 2009 review in School Library Journal describes the design of Down, Down, Down : "Depicted in Jenkins's signature handsome collages, the denizens of each level swim against ever-darkening backgrounds ranging from sunny blue to deepest black. Each double-page segment begins with a paragraph or two explaining the growing degree of darkness, cold, and pressure, and how all of these affect the lives of the resident creatures."

Awards

Down, Down, Down was a Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee in 2010-2011 and won the American Library Association Notable Books for Children in 2010.

Connections


Although designed for a higher reading level, Down, Down, Down could be used in a pre-school story time for an introduction to informational books. A theme of sea life storybooks could be read, such as I'm the Biggest Thing in This Ocean by Kevin Sherry or The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist, then the librarian could share the colorful pictures of Down, Down, Down while sharing some of the information about the ocean with the children.

References

Books In Print. Texas Woman's University. Accessed October 29, 2013