Module 11: The Tarantula Scientist

The Tarantula Scientist

by Sy Montgomery

Summary: Author Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop travel to South America with tarantula scientist Sam Marshall.  They travel through the jungle exploring tarantula holes and other insects of the jungle.  Throughout their journey in the jungle and Sam Marshall's story of being a scientist, facts about tarantulas are spread throughout the book.


Montgomery, S. (2004). The tarantula scientist. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company.

My Impression:  I give this book an A.  I hate spiders, but I found this book to be very interesting and it changed my perspective of spiders.  It is written in a kid friendly manner and does an excellent job of explaining words and terms that kids might not comprehend.

Professional Reviews:


Horn Book (July 1, 2004)

Writer and photographer team up again to bring us another excellent entry in the Scientist in the Field series. We follow arachnologist Sam Marshall on a field expedition to South America, and then back to his laboratory in Ohio to investigate several tarantula species. Information about spider basics, spider silk, and how to observe your own local spiders is woven into the main narrative. Montgomery is effective in showing how scientists' research questions integrate their field and laboratory study, and how Marshall's enthusiasm drives his scientific work. The additional profiles of undergraduates in the lab illustrate manageable projects, inviting young readers to imagine themselves as researchers someday (and the students profiled are women, helping to dispel any stereotypes about which gender likes spiders). Unlike other books in the series, the discussion of Marshall's childhood and initial interest in science is brief. The color photography is outstanding, and so very interesting that even the squeamish may take a second look at the glossy and hairy tarantulas portrayed in close detail in both their natural and laboratory habitats. Appended material includes a list of websites, a bibliography, a glossary, and an index.

 Ford, D. J. (2003, July 1). The tarantula scientist [Review of the book The tarantula scientist, by S. Montgomery].  Horn Book, 80(4), 469.  Retrieved from http://www.hbook.com/

Library Uses: Create a book mark that has a picture of a tarantula and interesting facts about spiders.  To find out more fascinating facts about tarantulas, you should read The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery.