Customer Reviews

The Frog Scientist (Scientists in the Field Series)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Meet Dr. Tyrone Hayes, frog scientist extraordinaire. The author opens the book by taking us along on a field trip with Dr. Hayes and his graduate students as they collect leopard frogs from a Wyoming pond. Dr. Hayes will take the frogs back to his Berkeley lab to study how the commonly used pesticide atrazine affects their development. It feels like you're with the group at the pond in the cool morning air, splashing through water, squelching through mud, brushing clouds of mayflies from your face, and trying to wrangle the wily hoppers with big nets.

The second chapter flashes back in time to show us how a tough little African-American kid who grew up in a segregated south loved reptiles and amphibians so much that he ended up graduating from Harvard and UC Berkeley. That was 1989, the very year that scientists discovered that frogs were dying at an alarming rate around the world.

Fast forward to the future, when Dr. Hayes goes to work for the chemical company that makes atrazine. The firm wanted him to test the pesticide on frogs. But they didn't like what he found. Tiny amounts of the chemical "feminized" male frogs; they produced eggs in their testes rather than sperm! Obviously, they could not father future frogs. No wonder American frogs were dying out. But the company wouldn't allow Dr. Hayes to publish his findings, so he left to pursue his studies elsewhere.

The author skillfully takes the reader through the experiment that Dr. Hayes designed to test his hypothesis that atrazine causes feminized male frogs. Her writing is clear and concise, and she makes complex scientific concepts easy to understand and accessible to young readers. Profiles of Dr. Hayes' young lab assistants at work brighten the lively writing.

Spectacular color photos of numerous species of frogs, and of Dr. Hayes and his team at work in the field and in the laboratory further bring the story to life. These are real people, doing important work that potentially affects human beings as well as frogs. When real life is this dramatic and exciting, who needs fiction? This is one of the best nonfiction books I've read this year.

Connie Goldsmith
Chidren's book reviewer for California Kids, a Sacramento regional parenting publication.

Once I started reading this book, I loved it. I thought the author did an
excellent job of using and explaining scientific terms in a very readable way.

The text flowed nicely, and did read like a story. The pictures are fantastic, and add a beautiful visual element to the page-turning narrative.

Tyrone's story was inspiring, and he's a good role model to kids who may not be
interested in school, or science specifically, about the possibilities that are
out there. It also tied researchers' work, that kids might see as boring, into
the very real concerns that kids today have (about the environment).

I handed the book over to my 6th grade daughter. She loves to read. . . .
fiction. But once she started reading, she didn't get up off the couch, and
actually asked her brother to turn off the TV when he left the room. She really
liked it. I asked if she would read other books like that, and she still said
that she prefers fiction, but she did like this book, and thinks that people who
like non-fiction would really like it.

This is a wonderful non-fiction book that reads like a story. The book follows scientist Tyrone Hayes and his experiments as he attempts to discover why frogs all over the world are disappearing. With over a hundred species going extinct since 1980, I love how the book does not take a simple approach to this complex problem with many sources, including pesticides, fungal attacks, encrouching species, and habitat loss. The story has a similarly nuanced view of Hayes' struggles in school, his abiding love of science, and the help he gets along the way from mentors and friends encouraging him to continue his work. This heart warming story will encourage young readers think big questions about science, one of my great loves as well, and with a high reading level and challenging non-fiction content, this is an excellent read for advanced readers 8+.

Tyrone was the type of boy who always had his toes in the waters of Colombia, South Carolina. He lived near "a swamp full of frogs, snapping turtles, and snakes," and to this day he's still dipping in water looking for frogs. If you want to catch them, you have to get up at the crack of dawn and get moving. Field biology isn't for people who want to sleep until noon and Dr. Tyrone Hayes isn't about to lie in bed when he has a mission to do. In particular he is running experiments to see if the pesticide altrazine affects the development of frogs. He noticed that "atrazine feminized male leopard frogs." Around the world certain types of frogs have become extinct and many appear to be following in their footsteps.

There are a few obvious reasons why frogs are disappearing such as the fact that forests are being cut down and wetlands are being filled up with soil and built upon. Things like global warming have encouraged the spread of the chytrid fungus which is rapidly killing them off, but the unseen factors such as the introduction of altrazine to fresh water sources are why has Dr. Hayes working at a breakneck pace in his laboratory. In this book you'll learn even more reasons why frogs are dying off, you'll get to see and learn about why there are so many deformities, why Hotel Campresre became a "frog hotel," you'll learn about "bizarre half-male, half-female" frogs, and more!

This is a fascinating story about an unusual scientist at work that will mesmerize even the most reluctant reader. I particularly liked the way the story draws the reader in right from the start in Dugway Pond and brings him or her right through an actual experiment in the Hayes Lab. The book does make it clear without saying that "environmental health and human health are one and the same." The book is alive with vibrant photographs, including those of Dr. Hayes's assistants, an addition that makes the book more personal. In the back of the book is an index, a glossary, photographs of "Featured Frogs and Toads," and numerous recommended book and website resources. K-12 lesson plans are available through a link provided.

WOW!!! I love frogs, this is the coolest non-fiction book that I have ever read. I think that anyone who likes frogs like I do would fall in love with this book. The book talks about all the different types of frogs in the world and also about the frog scientist himself, Dr. Tyrone Hayes. This book has amazing graphics and all the details are amazing about each frog. I also love the way this book is written and that it is easy enough for children to read also and not just adults. He talks about all the different experiments and adventures he does with frogs and along the way gives a lot of details that draws the reader in. The facts in this book are incredible and I really learned so much more by just reading it so now I can really say that I love frogs and even the poisonous ones because of their bright colors.

This would be a very interesting book for young scientists. Tyrone Haynes talks about the life cycle of frogs and the different type of frogs in this small picture book. He does this by telling a story about a young frog. His story is very interesting and will grasps the minds of young readers. At first look of the book this may turn many children off because it looks like an informational book. However, once one begins looking at all of the amazing pictures one can clearly see all the different types and colors that frogs have. This would definitely be a great book to have in any elementary classroom because of the way Haynes describes the scientific process and his way of tackling life problems.

The first thing i want to say is this book has AMAZING photos. I loved all the colorful frogs throughout the book. The book talks about all the different types of frogs in the world and also about the frog scientist himself, Dr. Tyrone Hayes. He talks about all the different experiments and adventures he does with frogs and along the way gives a lot of details that draws the reader in. This is one of the best non-fiction books i have read in a while. I think children will love this book because of all the pictures. As a future educator i think this book can be used in the classroom when its time to talk about amphibian's, and frogs is a good place to start.

Andy Comins provides the fine color photos to accompany THE FROG SCIENTIST, a survey of a field scientist whose interest in amphibians led to his work with all kinds of frogs. Striking color photos lend excitement to this 58-page picturebook survey which comes complete with an index and bibliography including websites of interest.