Giant Squid

by Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann (Illustrator)

Overview

The giant squid is one of the most elusive creatures in the world. As large as whales, they hide beyond reach deep within the sea, forcing scientists to piece together their story from those clues they leave behind.

An injured whale's ring-shaped scars indicate an encounter with a giant squid. A piece of beak broken off in the whale's belly; a flash of ink dispersed as a blinding defense to allow the squid to escape— these fragments of proof were all we had . . . until a giant squid was finally filmed in its natural habitat only two years ago.

In this beautiful and clever nonfiction picture book about the giant squid, Candace Fleming and Eric Rohmann explore, both visually and poetically, this hidden creature's mysterious life.

A Neal Porter Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596435995
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	09/27/2016
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	522,373
Product dimensions:	9.60(w) x 11.70(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	990L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Candace Fleming is the author of many acclaimed picture books and biographies for young readers, including Papa's Mechanical Fish, Oh, No!, and the recent The Family Romanov, which received five starred reviews.

Eric Rohmann has created and illustrated many picture books. He received a Caldecott Honor for Time Flies, and the Caldecott Medal for My Friend Rabbit, which has published by Roaring Brook Press.

Candace and Eric live in Oak Park, Illinois.

Editorial Reviews

We have fewer photos of giant squid…than of the surface of Mars, and this clever book renders their mysteries thrilling and creepy.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

★ 06/20/2016
Fleming and Rohmann (Bulldozer’s Big Day) draw readers in to the ocean’s murky depths in search of a seldom-seen creature. Tips of arms and tentacles reach up from the bottom of the first page; more reddish-white appendages appear in subsequent scenes until the cephalopod they belong to is announced on the title page. Much of the giant squid’s existence is a mystery, but Fleming pieces together what is known using vivid free verse and near rhyme: “With writhing arms/ and ghostly, lidless eyes/ they glide.” Focusing on each of the squid’s body parts separately, the lyrical narrative evokes a nature documentary (“Here are its tentacles,/ two,/ curling and twisting and thirty feet long,/ waiting for—/ a passing fish.../ another squid.../ anything swimming by”). Rohmann’s rich images place the squid against a shadowy blue-green backdrop, and the entire animal is only revealed in a penultimate double gatefold, appearing out of an expansive cloud of gray ink. The assembling of this creature from its parts to the whole, through both pictures and poetry, will captivate audiences young and old. Ages 6–10. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Visually marvelous, like its subject."—Kirkus Reviews

"The artwork is marvelous; the murky blues and blacksof the ocean make it easy to appreciate how hard it has been for scientists and sailors to see the elusive squid—and how startling it must be when that enormous “ghostly, lidless” eye appears."— The Horn Book, starred review

"Curious readers will be inspired by the engaging text and stunning illustrations to learn more about the giant squid. An essential purchase for science collections."—School Library Journal, starred review

"The assembling of this creature from its parts to the whole, through both pictures and poetry, will captivate audiences young and old."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2016
Gr 2–4—Through engrossing, informative verse, Fleming artfully introduces readers to a mysterious sea monster that glides through the deepest and darkest reaches of the ocean. Although some species of giant squid are as large as a bus, these animals are rarely spotted by people. Scientists have been able to gather clues and assemble a body of knowledge about the unusual cephalopod from pieces washed up on shore or found by fishermen. In a similar fashion, Fleming reveals characteristics of the squid piece by piece, beginning with a description of its 30-foot-long tentacles. She shares what little is known about the squid and raises many yet-to-be answered questions: Why does the squid change colors? Where does the female lay her eggs? As the narrative reaches a conclusion, the squid jets away from a predatory barracuda and disappears into a murky cloud of ink. Rohmann's full-color paintings are eerily atmospheric. Bit by bit, each illustration focuses on a particular part of the sea creature until the entire squid is portrayed in a dramatic foldout spread. VERDICT Curious readers will be inspired by the engaging text and stunning illustrations to learn more about the giant squid. An essential purchase for science collections.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston

School Library Journal

2016-06-01
This latest collaboration between Fleming and Rohmann explores the elusive giant squid.Fleming focuses as much on lingering unknowns as facts, introducing uncertainty in a poetic prologue: "Who are these giants of the dark seas?… // It is a mystery. // After all, how can you know / about an animal hidden from view? / You must rely on clues, / as scientists do...." Rohmann's full-bleed oil-on-paper pictures convey the squid's enormous size by capturing only its parts. Its two tentacles, "curling and twisting and thirty feet long," undulate both within the picture plane and outside it. After a barracuda's foiled by squid ink, dramatic double gatefolds open, revealing that even a yardwide page can't fully contain this creature. Sea depths are dark teal, purpled, or blackened; gorgeously crisp white text type casts its own light. Anatomical details elicit Fleming's most assertive descriptions. As tentacles enfold a fish, "they latch on with powerful / sucker-studded clubs. / ... / Suckers ringed with saw-like teeth / that rip into skin and hold on tight." There's a startling close-up of "the beak. / Bone-hard and parrot-like." Poetic compression occasionally results in obfuscation. Accounting for the squid's huge eyes, Fleming elides bioluminescence (effectively, jellyfishes' early-warning system of approaching predators), discernible by the squid only as "a shimmering outline." The creature's potential color changes are mentioned speculatively, without further qualification. Visually marvelous, like its subject—with a text more poetic than expository. (labeled diagram of giant squid, author's note, bibliography, web resources, suggested books) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

Kirkus Reviews