A 2005 Sibert Honor Book National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery and award-winning photographer Nic Bishop team up for an amazing excursion into the world of working scientists studying Earth’s biggest and hairiest spiders: tarantulas! Sam Marshall loved animals but disliked school. Then, on his first college research project, he set out to study tarantulas, and everything changed. Now Sam’s a spider scientist extraordinaire, exploring the dense rainforest of French Guiana, knocking on the doors of tarantula burrows, and trying to get a closer look at these incredible creatures. Yellow blood, silk of steel, and skeletons on the outside are just a few of the remarkable attributes tarantulas boast. Join Sam as he visits the largest comparative spider laboratory in America where close to five hundred of these fascinating creatures live, dazzling and astounding the scientists who study them. "Montgomery has a gift for scene-setting... She deftly weaves clear explanations and comparisons into the main text... Bishop's phenomenal photos show spiders mating, shedding their skin, even leaping through the air. It's enough to make Miss Muffet fall in love." Kirkus Reviews, Starred "...this is a vivid look at an enthusiastic scientist energetically and happily at work, both in the field and in the lab, questioning, examining, testing, and making connections. A treat, even for arachnophobes." School Library Journal, Starred "Bishop's photographs rise magnificently to the challenge of capturing earth-toned spiders amid earth-toned jungle surroundings, bringing the critters up-close and personal and offering a few of his trademark astonishing stop-action shots... This would liven up a science curriculum no end, and it might also convince young readers to go beyond the elemental pleasures of 'Ew, gross' to the more sophisticated appreciation of 'Wow, cool.'" The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Starred This beautifully photographed book explains just about everything an elementary school student might want to know about this often misunderstood and maligned creature. The Five Owls, Starred Researching her films, articles, and more than forty books, Sy Montgomery has trekked into the cloud forest of Papua, New Guinea, cage-dived off Mexico with great white sharks, and scuba-dived off two continents to commune with wild octopuses. A National Book Award finalist, her work has been honored with a Sibert Medal, a Cook Prize Gold Medal, two Science Book and Film prizes from the National Association for the Advancement of Science, four honorary degrees, and many other awards. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire. Visit her online at symontgomery.com. Nic Bishop, who holds a doctorate in the biological sciences, is the photographer of many acclaimed books for children. He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.Visit his website at: nicbishop.com    Award-winning science series are intriguing for all Tells the stories of real-world scientists as they discover, experiment and invent Scientists features are from fascinating fields such as astronomy, biology and ecology Features vivid, powerful and rare photographs A total of 12 titles are available - purchase individually or as a full set