Uncover a Tarantula: Take a Three-Dimensional Look Inside a Tarantula! (Uncover Books) [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

David George Gordon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2004 | Series: Uncover Books

Uncover a Tarantula examines the structure and anatomy of the largest spiders in the world and provides fascinating facts and information on each exciting page. Learn how these predators capture and kill other insects and animals, use their bodies to protect and camouflage themselves and why their blood is green. This full-color illustrated book combines the best model elements to help readers truly uncover the mysteries of what makes things work. A fascinating three-dimensional presentation allows in-depth, hands-on exploration of the subject at hand. This unique model is easily built, deconstructed, and rebuilt layer-by-layer, system-by-system, just by turning a page, until an understanding of the topic is achieved. Kids will love to see and touch each disgusting but interesting tarantula part!

--This text refers to the Board book edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David George Gordon is a biologist for the Washington Sea Grant Program and president of David George Gordon and Associates, an association of professionals who offer environmental writing, interpretation, and outreach. David has written numerous books, including Heaven on the Half Shell, The Compleat Cockroach, Travels with my Ant, and The Eat-a-Bug Cookbook.

The freewheeling naturalist has been featured on National Public Radio, Discovery Channel's Wild Discovery Wired and Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and Barbara Walters' The View.

Awards
Society for Professional Journalists, Western Washington Pro Chapter, Excellence in Journalism Awards, 2nd place, general news and features, 2001
Society for Professional Journalists, Western Washington Pro Chapter, Excellence in Journalism Awards, 2nd place, general news, 2000
Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Silver Medal, Circle of Excellence Awards, 2000
Society for Technical Communications, Puget Sound Chapter, Distinguished Award, 1999
Washington Press Association, Communicator of Excellence Award, 1998
Public Relations Society of America, Puget Sound Chapter, Totem Award, 1998
Educational Press Association of America, 2nd place, science feature, 1998
Educational Press Association of America, 1st place, science feature, 1996

--This text refers to the Board book edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 16 pages
• Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books (September 29, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159223237X
• ASIN: B00112AVMI
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 10.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,052,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David George Gordon is the award-wining author of 19 books on topics that range from watching gray whales and bald eagles to appreciating cockroaches, coral reef fishes and geoduck clams. The New York Times called his Field Guide to the Slug "gripping," citing its "almost breathtaking" account" of snail sex.

"From the get-go, 'The Secret World of Slugs and Snails' is a charmer, and one you won't have to slog through...David George Gordon, a naturalist and author of 19 books, including the best-selling "Eat-a-Bug Cookbook," knows how to spin a yarn," said the Chicago Tribune.

"Combining clever wit with solid science, David George Gordon has produced a most engaging, enlightening, and entertaining treatise on the evolution, anatomy and physiology, and ecological place of snails and slugs," added the editor of Pacific Horticulture magazine.

The freewheeling naturalist has been featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not, National Geographic Kids, The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine. He's been a guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, ABC's Nightline and The View. As a bug chef, he has performed at the Smithsonian Institution, Yale University and Singapore's Food Fest.

Gordon lives in Seattle with his wife (and illustrator) Karen Luke Fildes and a tank full of tropical fish.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lots of Interesting Information, January 1, 2005

By 

Robert B. Peake "Tarantula Lover" (NY State, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Uncover a Tarantula: Take a Three-Dimensional Look Inside a Tarantula! (Uncover Books) (Board book)

I am an adult who within the past few months has gotten very interested in tarantulas, and I now own 7 different species of them.

This book very concisely presents key facts about the tarantula anatomy (with a very illustrative clear model imbedded in the book itself, that peels away to show another layer of the spider's anatomy with each turn of the page), lifestyle, physiology, eating habits, and so forth.

I found the book extremely informative and based on hard scientific facts. A fairly quick read, I am keeping it handy for easy future reference.

This book made me appreciate even more these amazing animals!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful teaching aid!, November 18, 2006

By 

Lawrence A. Nelson (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Uncover a Tarantula: Take a Three-Dimensional Look Inside a Tarantula! (Uncover Books) (Board book)

This is a wonderful book that will help answer questions that children (and adults too!)will invariably have about these small wonders.

The embedded model nests well within itself, and the illustrations and text are full of interesting information about tarantulas. The organs are duplicated faithfully, compared to illustrations and photographs of dissected tarantulas I have seen, even with the enlargement. This makes understanding the anatomy and physiology much easier.

Children and adults will learn much about these misunderstood creatures and hopefully will treat them with more respect and dignity than they have received in the past. This book may go a long way to protecting and preserving these fascinating jewels of nature.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Attractive but not accessible to all ages, July 29, 2009

By 

Monique Phillips "dcartjunkie" (Takoma Park, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Uncover a Tarantula: Take a Three-Dimensional Look Inside a Tarantula! (Uncover Books) (Hardcover)

I was lucky enough to find this book at a local thrift store, and kept it in my classroom during a second grade science unit on plants and animals. The students who discovered it on the shelf, or went through the pages by my side, loved looking at it. The book says it's for ages 8 and up, but the text was way too advanced for any of my 7 year olds to read. I'm debating about whether or not to put this on the shelf in my preschool classroom. I'm sure the students will love exploring the 3D rendition of the tarantula in layers, but it doesn't work as a read-aloud or even a read-along with at younger ages.

There's a massive amount on informative text on each page. I would highly recommend this book, but wish it were a bit more accessible to younger and more developing readers.