Genre 4: NonFiction - Post 2

Steve Jenkins. 2009. Down, down, down: a journey to the bottom of the sea. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.  ISBN 9780618966363

Brief plot summary:

Jenkins takes his reader through different levels of the Pacific Ocean, “the largest body of water on the plant with an area greater that all the earth’s dry land combined.”  At each level, Jenkins provides facts about the various sea animals.  Each animal is further explained in the endnotes at the end of the book including details about the animals’ size, food preferences, and other identifying characteristic.  Jenkins begins at the surface and takes his readers through the Sunlight Zone, the Twilight Zone, the Dark Zone, the Abyssal Plain, the Hydrothermal Vents, and finally the Marianas Trench where “in 1960 the U.S. research vessel Trieste reached the sea floor with two scientists on board.”

Critical analysis:

This book does provide a bibliography of five sources at the end of book.  The information Jenkins provides on each animal is not directly connected to a specific source, but because the information is general like the animal’s size and unique characteristics it is appropriate as is.  The book is logically organized as if we were on a vessel diving into the depths of the ocean so at each level Jenkins explains how much sunlight is in the level, the marine life, and how the water pressure would affect humans.  The design of the book contributes to the overall journey theme.  As we travel further into the ocean, the color of the pages changes from light blue to black.  Jenkins compares the animals to diagrams of an adult human’s body or hand so readers better understand the size of the animals.  And the cut and torn paper collage illustrations are realistic enough that readers get a good idea of how these unique animals look.  Throughout the text, Jenkins provides facts about the marine life and humans exploring these different levels in such a conversational tone that I felt as if I was in the capable hands of a pleasant, knowledgeable guide. 

Awards:

• ALA Notable Book 2010
• New York Times – One of the eight most Notable Children's Book of 2009
• 2010 Beehive Book Award Nominee (Utah)
• 2010 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee

Review excerpt(s):

"In this plunge into the deep, Jenkins displays his usual keen awareness of what is fascinating about biology and imparts it without sensationalism—the facts speak for themselves . . Sophisticated cut- and torn-paper collage-work fit the alien qualities of the subjects well."

--Booklist

"Jenkins takes his signature collage to the oceans, sinking readers from the surface of the Pacific Ocean down nearly 11,000 meters to the bottom of the Marianas Trench. His style works well here: with passage into each zone (from the surface to the sunlit zone to the twilight zone, etc.), the blue backgrounds shade darker and murkier, which allows the intricate cut-paper animal illustrations to pop."

--Horn Book

"Depicted in Jenkins's signature handsome collages, the denizens of each level swim against ever-darkening backgrounds ranging from sunny blue to deepest black . . . The bold views tend to emphasize the weirdness of these little-known species, but the repeated message that humans have much to explore and learn in the deeper ocean is intriguing and inviting."

--School Library Journal.

Connections:

• This fits in with a unit over marine life, oceanography, and or ecology.
• This text could serve as an example of how to present researched information other than a traditional research paper.
•  Since Jenkins has several nonfiction titles that have received favorable reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and ALA, gather a number of them to discuss the genre of nonfiction.  Extend this by having students create a nonfiction book over a topic of their choice using a similar format as Jenkins.