Down, Down, Down (Module 4)

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jenkins, Steve. 2009. Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 9780618966363

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Jenkins’ book lets the reader explore right above the ocean’s surface to the sea floor, ending at the deepest spot in the sea, the Marianas Trench. With each spread, roughly three to five different creatures are introduced through the text and pictures. The text also includes information about water temperature and pressure, as well as animal habits such as feeding and defense.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Known as “a master at presenting facts with style and clarity” (San Francisco Chronicle), Jenkins has created an attractive and fact-filled informational book about the sea in Down, Down, Down. He not only shares all about the creatures that live down below, but also inserts statistics about pressure, temperature, and depth in natural and interesting way.

For those who are interested in going deeper, he created a final appendix that identifies each creature with more detail and compares the size of each to the adult body or hand. By wisely putting this at the end, Jenkins has kept the reader from getting overwhelmed with information within the pages of the book, yet he also encourages further research on those creatures that have truly captured the imagination. A short bibliography is found at end to help those readers who want to know more and emphasizes the research that went into this book.

Jenkins’ distinct illustrations make the book highly attractive and complement the text perfectly. He shows luminescence with the “lights on” and “lights off.” Even predatorial relationships and all those crazy fish with huge teeth are done in an accessible and attractive manner.

A scale flows down the right side of every page which is very useful in comparing the depth that we are looking at on that spread with the others and in no way hinders the aesthetics of the art. The scale is mimicked on the last page of the book but shares information on the depths that humans are capable to explore and through what means (i.e. scuba diving, jim suit, submarine, etc.).

This book definitely packs a lot of information about the ocean into picture book format and encourages a desire to learn more about ocean. Students will benefit from reading the book thoroughly, flipping through it for pure enjoyment of the art, or using the book for research.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

• ALA Notable Book
• Booklist review: “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.”
• Horn Book starred review: “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.”
• School Library Journal review: “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.”
• Kirkus review: “Once again, Jenkins provides an almost irresistible entry into our natural world for the youngest readers.”

5. CONNECTIONS

• Steve Jenkins has a distinctive style of artwork using a paper collage technique. On his website, he goes into detail on how he makes books from idea to text to artwork. There is even a downloadable video available. Have students create their own collage illustrations using Jenkins’ techniques. Mimic one of the creatures he illustrated or allow the students to make up their own deep water creatures. Jenkins also has a gallery of student work that has been sent to him on his website. Encourage students who want to do so to send in their own collage creations.
  
• Brain Pop has a great free lesson plan on their website that combines a reading of Down, Down, Down with an activity that recreates an oil spill. This lesson, “Environmental Cost of an Oil Spill,” includes activity pages, step-by-step instructions on the experiment, and extension activities.
  
• Other kid books about the ocean:

Littlefield, Cindy A. Awesome Ocean Science (Kids Can! series). ISBN: 978-0824967970

Ryan, Pam Munoz. Hello, Ocean. ISBN: 9780881069884

Ward, Jennifer. Somewhere in the Ocean. ISBN: 978-0873587488

Yaccarino, Dan. The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau. ISBN: 9780375855733