Jennifer Dewey

Jennifer Owings Dewey's Poison Dart Frogs, is an informational text about the different types of dart frogs and their poison. Each page is full of colored pencil like drawings depicting the characteristics of several different poison dart frogs. The catching of the frogs is told in addition to the how hunters extract their poison. While the illustrations are eye catching, the text is purely informational with little voice behind it. Each page contains only facts in paragraph form. While this show more text could be used to gather information about poison dart frogs, it is not recommended as a "good read". show less

Rock art is used as a way to explain the histories of the tribes that created it. There are interesting tidbits about their way of life and migration patterns--- things discerned from the centuries-old art. The patterns form an interesting historical narrative in which farming develops, leading to permanent settlements. The book really finds its stride as it focuses on one particular group, the Anasazi. Young learners might be very fascinated (and slightly disgusted-- hey, whatever keeps show more their interest) in knowing ancient Anasazi art methods: using animal blood to make paints and the like. The book also has a great cultural narrative, and could be used by teachers looking to diversify their readings. show less

This nonfiction book about the author's unusual pets was written with school children in mind, and the narrative is pretty basic even by those standards. I wondered about the humans at times. Some of their decisions seemed odd and not exactly smart - such as a particular episode with a snake, for instance. But I enjoyed reading about Clem, the raven, and Clyde, the owl. Ravens and owls turned out to be more interesting than I would have thought. Nice illustrations by the author throughout show more the book. show less

I have mixed feelings about this book. I liked that it provided a vast amount of information about poison dart frogs. It basically included all of the information one would want to know about these frogs, including a couple ways that the poison can be extracted from them. On the other hand, I felt that the book became a bit too wordy. By the end of the book, I was more than ready for it to be over, since it felt like it was so long. The big idea is to provide information to readers about show more poison dart frogs and to spread knowledge. show less