Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest [Hardcover]

Steve Jenkins (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Climb the tallest mountain, dive into the deepest lake, and navigate the longest river in Steve Jenkins' stunning new book that explores the wonders of the natural world. With his striking cut paper collages, Jenkins majestically captures the grand sense of scale, perspective and awe that only mother earth can inspire.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2?As in his Biggest, Strongest, Fastest (Ticknor & Fields, 1995), Jenkins once again uses striking colorful paper collage illustrations to explore a topic. Here, he delves into the greatly varied marvels of the world, presenting the highest mountain, the hottest spot, the wettest place, the most active volcano, etc. Interesting charts help put sizes into perspective. For example, on the double-page spread that introduces the longest river, a side box shows the length of the Nile in comparison to that of other rivers as well as to the width of the United States. The oldest and deepest lake, Lake Baikal in Russia (5134 feet deep), is contrasted pictorially with the height of the Empire State Building (1250 feet). These visuals give young readers a full understanding of how amazing these natural wonders are. Each spread includes a map that shows where these places are located. Browsers will pick up this delightful picture book and read it through completely. This eye-catching introduction to geography will find a lot of use in libraries and classrooms.?Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-8. In this world record book of natural history, Jenkins identifies and describes places such as the planet's deepest lake, highest mountain, most active volcano, the most extreme tides, and the places designated the hottest, the coldest, the wettest, the driest, and the windiest on Earth. Each spread features a distinctive collage of cut-and-torn papers, which vary in texture and hue. Silhouetted forms provide dramatic focal points in the compositions. Each spread includes a couple of lines of text, supplemented with more information in smaller type and inset maps and diagrams that help the reader visualize just how high, deep, or wet the subject is in comparison with others of its kind. Highly effective visual education for the classroom or for young browsers intrigued by superlatives. Carolyn Phelan

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (September 28, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395899990
• ISBN-13: 978-0395899991
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 10.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #649,405 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steve Jenkins has written and illustrated nearly twenty picture books for young readers, including the Caldecott Honor-winning What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? His books have been called stunning, eyepopping, inventive, gorgeous, masterful, extraordinary, playful, irresistible, compelling, engaging, accessible, glorious, and informative. He lives in Colorado with his wife and frequent collaborator, Robin Page, and their children. To learn more about Steve and his books, visit www.stevejenkinsbooks.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Innovative and informative, January 3, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest (Hardcover)

In "Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest," author/artist Steve Jenkins uses cut-paper collages to teach children about some of the most extreme places on earth. Jenkin's artistic technique really sets this book apart among educational books for young readers.

Jenkins takes us to many extraordinary places: Lake Baikal, Russia (the world's deepest lake); Mount Everest (the highest mountain); Atacama Desert, Chile (the driest place); and many more. The book is filled with wonderfully rendered images: penguins diving into South Polar water, a colorful Colombian tree frog, wind-whipped trees in New Hampshire, and more.

Throughout the book, Jenkins' artistry is impressive. Each illustration is a photograph of one of his collages, which make use of paper of many different colors and textures. He really brings to life such images as the turbulent seas of the Bay of Fundy. And maps throughout the book add to its educational value. If your child is interested in either geography or collage art, this is a great book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Well Presented, January 26, 2007

By 

Mrs. Busick "busick family" (Athens, AL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest (Paperback)

This is a wonderful little book of earth facts, which includes not only the basics (Mt. Everest is the highest mountain, the Nile is the longest river) but other interesting information (the Amazon actually carries the most water of any river in the world; the tides at the bay of Fundy can overtake a person running away). There is at least one graphic with each page that neatly illustrates each fact -- the amount of rainfall in Tutenendo, Columbia is compared to the height of an adult man, for example.

A great addition to any young earth science buff's library!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, January 19, 2001

By 

TwoPoodles (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest (Hardcover)

Steve Jenkins writes books that teach parent and child. My daughter is 6 and is into "reference books". Thirsty for facts. Jenkins books have been instrumental in keeping her interest up for educational books. I highly recommend any of his books.