Jim Arnosky

Prolific children's author and artist Jim Arnosky, known for his many excellent works of natural history for young people, turns to the life of the world's oceans in this engrossing and educational picture book. Exploring different categories of creature and habitat—stingrays, dolphins, jellyfish, deep-sea hunters, sailfish, coral reefs, sharks, crabs and more—Arnosky covers both general and specific topics, with every spread featuring some pencil artwork in black and white, and some vibrantly colorful paintings. There are four fold-outs, a number of creatures and objects shown in actual size, and an author's note and list of further reading at the rear...

The fiftieth book I have read from Arnosky overall, Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life is the second, following upon his 2008 Wild Tracks!: A Guide to Nature's Footprints, to be in this specific format. Like that earlier book, there are many life-sized reproductions here, as well as four fold-out spreads, making the reading process more involving and entertaining for child readers and listeners. The artwork is lovely in its own right (as always with this creator's books), and the text informative. I appreciated the glimpses offered into Arnosky's own explorations, undertaken with his wife and assistant Deanna, who is mentioned multiple times in the text. Although some deep-sea creatures are covered, the majority of the content of the book deals with marine wildlife that is closer to shore, and therefore more accessible to the general public. Of course, I believe most marine wildlife lives closer to the shore, so there is that. In any case, this was another wonderful book from Arnosky, one I would recommend to young would-be marine biologists and ocean lovers.… (more)

With gorgeous watercolor illustrations and a thought-provoking text in rhyme, prolific author/illustrator Jim Arnosky asks young people to consider what is going on in the natural world, as they move through their own days. As they are waking up, a band of sheep is walking along a narrow mountaintop spine; as the brush their teeth and wash their face, a shark circles a reef and a polar bear runs across a field of ice. All throughout the day, as they are engaged in various activities, somewhere, at that very moment, a creature in the wild is also doing something...

At This Very Moment is the forty-ninth book I have read from Arnosky, whose work I greatly admire, and I think it is wonderful! It isn't simply educational, in the sense of introducing children to various animals—although it does do that—no, it is also inspirational, and seeks to inculcate in children an awareness of the natural world around them, as well as the idea that many things are taking place at once, all over our beautiful planet. I found the artwork here beautiful as always, and think the text makes for an excellent read-aloud. I also greatly enjoyed the author's afterword, in which he talks about each species mentioned, and what they mean to him. The beaver and the bluejay are neighbors, the alligator is thought of every day, the lions are in his dreams, and the raccoons in his woodshed. Highly recommended to all young animal and nature lovers, as well as to anyone searching for picture books that promote awareness of and love for our fellow residents here on earth.… (more)

"I'm a turkey, they call me Tom. / I got a turkey dad and a turkey mom." So begins the rhyming, sing-song narrative of this picture book from author / illustrator Jim Arnosky, who has created more than one hundred works of natural history for children. The simple text describes meleagrine life, from living in a large flock to peeping, squawking and gobbling to communicate, taking flight (yes, turkeys fly!) to hiding from predators...

Published in 2009, I'm a Turkey is the forty-eighth book I have read from Arnosky (what can I say? I'm a fan), and is a departure from many of his other titles that I have previously encountered. Although still informative on a basic level—readers and listeners will learn some basic facts about turkeys—it feels much more like a book just for fun, than many of its creator's other titles. Which isn't to say that his other books aren't entertaining—some of the early Crinkleroot books feel almost like ecological fairy-tales—just that this has a somewhat silly, lighthearted feeling absent from most of the other Arnosky books I have encountered. Apparently the words to the book came to the author while he was studying turkeys in the wild, and he even created a song to go along with them, which was once downloadable from the Scholastic site, and which can now be purchased from Arnosky on this site. Recommended to little turkeys, and to anyone seeking lighthearted picture books for young animal lovers.… (more)

All is peaceful in a desert canyon in this lovely picture book for younger children, as the wren makes her nest in a cactus, a cottontail hare hops about and a covey of quail move quietly through the prickly pears. All that changes with the advent of four young coyotes, intent on having fun and frightening the other residents of Cactus Canyon. It is only when this coyote raid encounters a rattlesnake that they realize they aren't the scariest creatures around...

Talented and prolific author/illustrator Jim Arnosky has created many wonderful works of natural history for children, from informational books like those in his All About series, to more fanciful titles such as those about Crinkleroot, that grandfatherly guide to the wild who was raised by bees. He has also created a number of engaging picture books for younger children, featuring simple stories about animals in the wild. Coyote Raid in Cactus Canyon is an example of this latter type, pairing a brief but engaging text with beautiful artwork depicting the animals being described. Recommended as an introduction for younger children—I would say between four and seven years old—to the kind of desert ecosystems one would find in the American southwest.… (more)