What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?: A Caldecott Honor Award Winner

By Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

A nose for digging? Ears for seeing? Eyes that squirt blood? Explore the many amazing things animals can do with their ears, eyes, mouths, noses, feet, and tails in this interactive guessing book, beautifully illustrated in cut-paper collage, which was awarded a Caldecott Honor.

This title has been selected as a Common Core Text Exemplar (Grades K-1, Read Aloud Informational Text).

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jun 15, 2009
• ISBN: 9780547772929

Steve Jenkins

Steve Jenkins wrote and illustrated many nonfiction picture books for young readers, including the Caldecott Honor Book What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? His books have been called stunning, eye-popping, inventive, gorgeous, masterful, extraordinary, playful, irresistible, compelling, engaging, accessible, glorious, and informative.

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Reviews for What Do You Do with a Tail Like This?

[kjacob9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed reading this nonfiction book. I enjoyed the fact that this story used questions as subtitles through the story. For example, the question, “what do you do with a nose like this?” began the section which discussed how different animals use their noses for different things. Also, I enjoyed the way the illustrations were drawn throughout the story. On each page that introduced a new body part of an animal, there was only part of the animal. This allowed the reader to guess what animal each was, keeping the book very engaging. The main idea of this book is that all animals use different parts of their bodies for different purposes.

[rnelson12-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a good example of a simple illustrative look at animals and their tails.

[mchristman_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a good example of an informational book because it shows all the different ways that animals use different parts of their bodies. Many of the examples are not uses that we would normally think of.Age Appropriateness: Primary/ Intermediate

[aalkurd-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The illustrations in this book were amazing! The texture in each image made me want to reach out to feel the pictures. This is a good example of a interactive reading. A good book when talking about the five senses.

[terihogg · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“What do you do with a nose (or ears, tail, eyes, feet, or mouth) like this?” This wonderful information book asks children the question on one spread, with five various animals’ body parts in question shown, while the answer is on the next. Even adults will learn something new about an animal they previously didn’t know. I didn’t know that an elephant’s trunk can weigh up to 400 pounds or that whales can hear other whales hundreds of miles apart. Part of the fun of the layout and design is how the text is positioned, shooting out of the nose of a mole, splashing around the head of an elephant, and straight as an arrow down the back of an alligator. The interesting vocabulary such as 'pesky', 'stinky', and 'nasty' will entice children to try them out. Body parts are cropped strategically encouraging the reader to guess the animal. Each body part and animal is designed out of paper either torn or cut. As a teacher, I appreciate the glossary at the back of the book explaining characteristics of each animal in more detail. Like Brown Bear Brown Bear, this book could easily lead to class book creations. Highly recommended. Grades Pre-K-2.

[elpowers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Love it- great read aloud, wonderful pictures and good amount of white space. Storytime must!

[jaclynpoe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book encompasses different parts to different animals, and introduces children to animals they might not know about. I would use this book in my teaching as a suppliment to a science or reading lesson. I think this book would be appropriate for 1st grade- 3rd grade due to its simplicity.

[carolinepfrang · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“What Do You Do With a Tail Like This” is an informational book that follows many different uncommon animals and their strengths. The main idea is to inform the audience of the body parts that help an animal most in its life. It shows the reader what characteristics that animals have to help them live. One way the author gets this message across is through splitting the book into sections. He splits the book into what to do with a tail/eyes/nose/ears like this and so on. This helps the reader categorize the animals and see what body parts of animals give them their strengths. Another way the author gets the main idea across is by giving the reader the chance to guess the animals that the next few pages will discuss. For example, a page will have a page that says “what do you do with a nose like these?” and the reader is supposed to guess the animals that belong to the nose on the page. This is an interactive way to pull the reader into the book and get them involved. I really enjoyed how this book made an informational text very interactive and fun. While reading this it almost didn’t even seem like an informational text. Another great feature of this book that greatly added to its content and purpose was at the end of the book there was more in depth descriptions of the animals like where they are found and what they do. Because many of the animals are not very common this was a helpful tool that added to the learning of the reader and the meaning of the book.

[kapeoples · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great science book that could be used in Kindergarten or a higher grade. The book children will learn that lizards can completely break off their tail as a defense and that it will grow back. And, they'll find out that crickets' ears are on their knees. Most fish have two eyes, but some have four, the better to see above and below the water at the same time. This is a beautifully illustrated book. On each page, five different animals' tails, ears, eyes, or other body parts, done in vibrant cut-paper collage, appear with a simple question ("What do you do with a- like this?").

[gi142984 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book tells about different animal’s body parts and what they use them for. The beginning of every other page is a question (i.e. what do you do with a nose like this?") and then on the same page has different pictures of an animal's nose then the next page will show the animal the nose belongs to and gives an example of what it's used for. The last few pages of the book shows all the animals and gives information about each individual animal/insect. This books was so much fun to read to children, they liked to guess what animal the body part belong to before I turned the page. I enjoyed it myself and even learned a couple things; I never knew that a cricket had ears on its KNEES!! It’s a great informational book and I would recommend using it for class when learning about animals. Its illustrations are also magnificent!In the classroom after reading this book, children can look up other kids of animals and make a mini-book of What do you do with a tail like this? Another idea would be having a child pick an animal out of the book and doing a small research over the animal and presenting it to the class with a poster board.

[annalisebradshaw · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Summary - This book explains how different animals use their noses to dig, find food, as a tool, or to breathe. It explains how different animals use their ears to see, keep cool, hear from a multitude of distances. It explains how different animals use their tails as weapons/ defensive tool or as a tool. It explains how different animals use their eyes to see from far distances, look in two directions, squirt liquid, or see at night. ETC. How to Use - You could use this book to talk about different adaptations different animals have to survive.

[gkuhns_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The structure of this book--each page presents a tiny mystery--and the exceptional cut-paper illustrations help it to achieve that oh so unattainable goal: it makes learning fun. The book offers pictures of different body parts and then asks readers to guess what animal it belongs to and what it does. On the next page, the mystery is solved. Thus, we learn that crickets have ears on their knees and that there is an animal named the Blue-footed Booby. This is a delightful book to read aloud to younger elementary students.

[rfary1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book presents the reader with pictures of different animals noses, tails, ears etc. For example the book poses the question, "what do you do with a nose like this?" and shows only the noses of various creature including an alligator, a mole, and an elephant. Students can guess which animal a nose belongs to before learning about how the animal uses its nose. Overall I really enjoyed this book and I think that students would have a lot of fun trying to figure out what creature each body part belongs to and what each one does. The fact that this book could easily inspire students to participate is a big plus. I also liked that there were some animals and their body parts that would be easily recognizable to a student, such as and elephant and its trunk, and some that would likely not be as familiar. This book could be used to introduce different animals to students, as well as discuss the anatomy of animals and how different animals are designed to do different things based on their environment.

[smeyer8 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really like this book and thought it was a great informational picture book. The writing is descriptive and clear. The writing is engaging and flows. The text is written in different places and patterns, which kept me reading and interested through out the book. The characters are believable because they are based off of real animals. The plot is organized and paced well. The illustrations support and enhance the story. The illustrations are beautiful and colorful. The big idea of the book is learning and exploring about animals and all the different things they can do with their eyes, ears, mouths, nose, feet, and tails. "Animals use their noses, ears, tails, eyes, mouths, and feet in very different ways. See if you can guess which animal each part belongs to and how it is used. At the back of the book you can find out more about these animals." The book is also interactive, which made it entertaining and engaging. "If you're an elephant, you use your nose to give yourself a bath."

[brittasorensen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is set up interactively. The first page is a close up of animals' body parts, asking what they could be for, and the next page zooms out to show the animals and explain what that body part does for each animal.Steve Jenkins obviously works hard to make his work engaging. Each page builds suspense and excitement. It's a great way to get kids interested in animals and how their body parts help them survive. It's an important science lesson and a really fun book. The collages are beautiful and the zoomed in focus with lots of white space is perfect for younger kids. I know that my niece delights in this book and loves to read it over and over. It's well illustrated, fun, and informative. I love how engaging it is.

[schaefercrew · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What Do You Do With a Tail Like This?by Steve Jenkins & Robin PageThis is a fantastic non-fiction book that explores the many amazing things animals can do with their ears, eyes, mouths, noses, feet, and tails in a beautifully illustrated interactive book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. This book is appropriate for elementary-aged children and can be used to engage kids in a scientific discussion about how animals have evolved specialized body parts in order to best adapt to their needs.The beautiful illustrations immediately help engage a child by presenting a specific body part (ears, eyes, noses, feet, tails) of several animals and than posing the question, "What do you do with -- like these?" This allows the opportunity for classroom participation as kids can make educated guesses as to which body part belongs to whom and what that body part could be used for. Upon turning the page, these mini-mysteries are solved with a colorful illustration of each animal's entire body and an explanation of what the specified body part is made to do. I believe that children will learn a great deal about many different animals in this book. I learned that crickets have ears on their knees, a four-eyed fish can look above and below the water at the same time, and a blue-footed booby is a bird that likes to dance. This book can also be used in conjunction with a science lesson. Older elementary children could select an animal and present a detailed report about it to the rest of the class or this book could be used to introduce a lesson on adaptability or how animals have evolved to best function in their environment. This book can also be used to introduce categorization and categorize by number of feet, body covering, and home (air, sea, land).The authors display a wonderful talent for creating paper collage wildlife portraits with astonishingly realistic skin, fur, and feathers. Kids delight in the strangeness of animals and will love learning more about each animal in the section in the back of the book that gives a short further description of each animal in the book. I highly recommend this book to be shared with multi-aged elementary children.

[kristinspecht · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You could do a text innovation. Students could write a book on any body part or object. You could write about different shoes, clothes, tools in the work place. what do you do with a shoe like this? Then you could match the shoes, clothes, tools etc. with the work that the individuals perform daily. Help teach students to narrow their topics and discover more about many different types of that certain object. The end of the book has an in depth description or the animals body parts and how they use them uniquely to survive. Can be used to teach students to make an interesting title, use a question to catch readers’ attention.

[lmhudson_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is very informative and teaches about different animals and animal parts. The repetition is this book is good for young readers to help with fluency.

[steffsweet · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great book full of fun facts about all sorts of different animals, and how they use their bodies.

[kbork1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Out of the books I’ve read this semester, What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? is definitely one of my favorites! I’ve used this book for a lesson already this semester as well as a read aloud. My favorite thing about the book is that it is engaging. Students love animals, and this book really captivates attention because it is all about different animal adaptations. For example, each two pages of the book will cover different types of adaptations. One section is about tails, so the first page about tails shows five different animal tails and says, “What do you do with a tail like this?” Then you turn the page, and you see the full animal and what they do with their tails and learn why it’s special. When reading this to my students, they were so excited to guess which tail belonged to which animal and it kept them really engaged throughout the story.I also enjoyed the illustrations. To me, the illustrations look like they were made out of cut paper, which I think is really cool. Illustrations are crucial for this book because students need to be able to see the animals and the adaptations, and the illustrator did a really nice job conveying them. I would recommend this book for students in first through fourth grade. Though it’s a very easy read, you can definitely cater the activities you do with the students for higher grades. For example, I did this story as a read aloud and language arts activity with second grade, but read it again in fourth grade and used it to help me teach a lesson about animal adaptations.

[aflanig1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A picture book that shows kids the different ways an animal can use its tail. A very informative book that a child can understand.

[pangle_7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tails, eyes, ears, noses, feet, mouths; most animals have them, but do they all use them the same way? Learn about all kinds of interesting animals and how they use their body parts in Steve Jenkins award winning nonfiction book.

[jmistret · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book offers a lot of interesting facts that even I did not know until I read it. It is a very easy read yet very informative. This book features many different animals and what they can all do with different parts of their bodies. I was unaware that if you are a platypus you use your nose to dig in mud, that if you are a cricket you hear with your knees, and that if you are a chameleon you use your eyes to look two ways at once. This book offers a wide range of animal facts as well as pictures. The pictures really help one associate the animal with the interesting feature the animal holds. By having pictures of the tails, eyes, and ears of the animals before seeing that entire animal, one is able to get into the book and think about what the animal looks like or what the animal might able to do with his or her tails, eyes, and ears. Even a child who is unable to read yet could understand and enjoy this book.

[katiekaufmann · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great text for shared reading. New facts for me. What new facts did students learn? Have readers take a closer look at the art detail - Illustrator used cut-paper collage.

[lbblackwell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Animals come in all shapes and sizes. In this book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page, we discover how animals use their eyes, ears, noses, mouths, tails, and feet to perform different tasks. This easy-to-read non-fiction book is beautifully illustrated using cut-paper collage creating a textured appearance.

[rayjones63 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a non-fiction book about animals and how they use their body parts. Used to compare and contrast animals.

[michaela.bushey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This informational text by Steve Jenkins talks about various animals and their unique body parts. Different tails, noses, eyes, feet, etc. help these animals survive in their environments. The cut-paper collage illustrations combine nicely with the question and answer set-up of the text. The additional information included about each animal in the back of the book provides a nice extension for curious readers.This text would be perfect for a young elementary classroom introducing a science unit on animals. The question-answer format would get students actively thinking and making predictions about the material. Also, the additional information in the back could help students get started on individual or group inquiry projects.

[pravs_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This Caldecott Honor Book tells readers about different animal tails and their use. It is quite interesting and has many facts that first time readers of the book are sure not to know. Great for reading along with children, and pages have textures which children will like to touch and be involved. Body parts of animals are illustrated in different colors and form, thus opening the door for good dialogue with children. I highly recommend this book for children ages 4 - 8.

[ramber1-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book gave the reader interesting facts about different kinds of animals and showed us what was special about many animals as well. It showed us what the tail of a scorpion does or what the eyes of a hawk are for. I really enjoyed reading 'What do you do with a tail like this' for many different reason. I really enjoyed the fact that the book was interactive in the text. Before introducing the animals on the next page, the book would ask questions like "what do you do with a nose like this?" giving the children who are reading it an opportunity to think and answer while learning new information. At the end of the book, they also give you more information about each animal that they introduced which gives the reader more opportunity to learn if they are more advanced. The illustrations in the book also added a lot of value to the story because it gave the reader a clear picture of what the animals actually look like and not just a cartoon version of the animals like are in most children's books.

[mtofell · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What a great book to use for making predictions and inferencing! I also think that this would be a fun book to turn into a classbook. Students could choose their favorite animal and write about what it's nose is used for. I like how each set of animals is introduced by just looking at the animal and guessing what it is. This format adds for great class discussions.