Bibliography:
Montgomery, Sy. THE TARANTULA SCIENTIST (Scientists in the Field Series); Nic Bishop(photos). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company. 2004.
ISBN: 0618147993

Plot Summary:

The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery along with Nic Bishop (photographer) presents the story of Sam Marshall, a scientist exploring the jungle.  They travel to New Guiana on an exploration to look for spiders, especially tarantulas.  Sam did not like school, or science, until he discovered spiders. Sam then began to love science and has devoted his life to the study of spiders. He is a type of scientist called an arachnologist.  The reader follows Sam through French Guiana in South America in search of the Goliath birdeater tarantula which can grow up to 15 inches in diameter. Through this photo essay, the reader learns about different kinds of spiders while also learning about New Guiana and many other science facts.

Critical Analysis:
Part of the Scientist in the Field Series, this book provides accurate and fascinating information about Goliath birdeater tarantulas and spiders in general.  It has a section called “How This Book Was Researched.” The reader will find out that Montgomery along with the photographer Bishop went with Sam Marshall through the jungle of New Guiana.  Sam researched tarantulas with Montgomery and Bishop joining on the expedition plus they also visited Sam’s Spider Lab at Hiram College in Ohio.  Montgomery traveling with the scientist nearly insures facts and information will be accurate.  In the text Montgomery is careful to note when theories, rather than concrete facts, are presented to insure that any myths or wrong ideas about spiders are put to rest. Montgomery writes in an humorous style while telling the reader information about science, the jungle and spiders. For example Montgomery states, "Normally is not a great idea to poke sticks in burrows in the jungle-especially if you don't know who lives there." 

This book has an abundance of facts and information which are fairly easy to find even though there is not a Table of Contents. This book contains a map at the beginning showing the reader where French Guiana is located. It has headings at the beginning of each new topic, similar to chapters but minus the number. It contains photographs through out the book with labels telling the reader about the photo. At the back of the book there are paragraphs with a heading to give the readers the ability to scan the extra information. These paragraphs contain information on handling tarantulas, spider stats, spider language, how the book was researched, special acknowledgments, selected bibliography, websites, how to reach the jungle in French Guiana where Sam does his research, information on having a tarantula as a pet, an index, and a website for teachers.  Nic Bishop's photographs are amazing and catch the wonder of the jungle and these magnificent spiders.  Each beautifully colored photo helps the reader understand the text being read plus the caption enhances understanding of the photo. This is a great book for information on science and spiders plus a good resource to get students motivated for inquiry based studies. 

Connections:

*The Snake Scientist by Sy Montgomery
*The Frog Scientist by Sy Montgomery
*Quest for the Tree Kangaroo by Sy Montgomery
*Uncover a Tarantula: Take a Three-Dimensional Look Inside a Tarantula! by *David George Gordon
*Tarantulas (Animals of the Rain Forest) by Christy Steele
*http://symontgomery.com/wp-content/themes/toolbox/downloads/tarantula-activities.pdf

Awards and Reviews:

•  Sibert Honor Book
• ALA Notable Book
• John Burroughs Nature Book for Young Readers
• School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
• 2005 Outstanding Science Trade Book for K–12

* Kirkus Review: “Bishop’s phenomenal photos show spiders mating, shedding their skin, even leaping through the air. It’s enough to make Miss Muffet fall in love.”

* “Superb color photos abound in this spectacular series addition. . . . This is a vivid look at an enthusiastic scientist energetically and happily at work. . . . A treat, even for arachnophobes.”—School Library Journal, starred review