Through the Heart of the Jungle [Hardcover]

Jonathan Emmett (Author), Elena Gomez (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

"This is the crocodile with the wide gaping jaws, that snapped at the toad with the big googly eye, that gulped down the spider, that gobbled the fly that buzzed through the heart of the jungle."

Rhythmic lyrics and lush artwork are the cornerstones of this jungle themed progressive story about who started the chain of events that led to the fly— who buzzed through the heart of the jungle— getting gobbled up.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-This story is very much like Verna Aardema's Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears (Dial, 1975), but the culprit here is a fly "that buzzed through the heart of the jungle." It gets eaten by the spider, which gets eaten by the toad, which gets eaten by the crocodile, etc. The cadence follows a "This Is the House That Jack Built" pattern, which will delight listeners as it becomes clear that all of this eating was started by Lion, the King of Beasts, doing what lions do and causing animals to scatter. What sets this story apart is the creative variation of fonts. It starts out in medium-large text, perfect for young readers, and fluctuates ever so subtly, first angles, then curves up and down and around the shape of the animals. There is great rhythmic movement in the art, with bursts of color beginning with blues and greens. Gradually, dashes of other colors are added, culminating in bright orange for the King's mane, as his roar fills the whole page. Kids will be mesmerized-when they are not chiming in on the title refrain.
Wanda Meyers-Hines, Ridgecrest Elementary School, Huntsville, AL
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jonathan Emmett is a writer and artist who's also played in a band and worked as an architect. He has written the tiger tales books "'A Mouse in the Marmalade"' and "'A Turtle in the Toilet"'. Jonathan lives in Nottingham, England.

Elena Gomez has been an artist for several years. She illustrated for several magazines before turning her attention to children's books. Elena lives in Paris, France.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Tiger Tales; 1 edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 158925029X
• ISBN-13: 978-1589250291
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 10 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,689,693 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan was born in Leicestershire in 1965, the son of a rig fitter and a primary school teacher.
In addition to writing picture books such as "Bringing Down the Moon", "Someone Bigger" and "Ruby, in Her Own Time", Jonathan also paper-engineers pop-up books. His books have won several awards including the Red House Children's Book Award for "Pigs Might Fly" and the Kiekeboekprijs for "Bringing Down the Moon".
He lives in Nottingham with his wife, Rachel, and his children, Max and Laura.
Visit his website at www.scribblestreet.co.uk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Great illustrations & fun story, April 21, 2004

By 

Mark Cochran (Monroe, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Through the Heart of the Jungle (Hardcover)

I found this book pretty cheap at a local grocery store and it was an instant hit! The story is a cumulative mouthful, but well worth the read to a group of children. The great thing about cumulative books is that the kids want to finish the pages for you. The illustrations are magnificent and bold. Very colorful and fill the page. The right type face was definatly chosen!

5.0 out of 5 stars With lush, colorful artwork, August 11, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Through the Heart of the Jungle (Hardcover)

Through The Heart Of The Jungle is the collaboratively effort of author Jonathan Emmett and illustrator Elena Gomez. Young readers are taken on an adventure through the heart of the jungle. They will find a buzzing fly is not alone because there is a spider waiting to gobble the fly. A toad is right behind the spider, and so on and on until the chain of predator and prey leads up to the lion! The rhythmic text is perfectly showcased with lush, colorful artwork making Through The Heart Of The Jungle a popular and recommended addition to any personal or library picture book collection.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!, March 5, 2003

By 

Ms. I. Alibhai (Surrey, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Through the Heart of the Jungle (Hardcover)

This is a firm favourite of both my Godsons! The pictures are colourful & eye catching and keep them entertained. After we have read it together they always want to play a part of one of the animals!! Would recommend it!