Looking Down

by Steve Jenkins

In this wordless picture book, readers first see Earth as the astronauts do, as a small ball in the black universe. As the point of view moves gradually closer, we can see continents and oceans, then the East Coast of the United States, then a town (an imaginary one), until, finally, we are looking through a boy's magnifying glass at a ladybug. In his remarkable and detailed cut-paper illustrations, the artist takes us on an amazing journey from outer space to a young boy's front yard.

Genres: Picture Books, Science, Childrens, Nonfiction, Space, Writing, Juvenile

32 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1995

About the author

Steve was born in 1952 in Hickory, North Carolina. His father, who would become a physics professor and astronomer (and recently his co-author on a book about the Solar System), was in the military and, later, working on science degrees at several different universities. We moved often. Steve lived in North Carolina, Panama, Virginia, Kansas, and Colorado. Wherever he lived, he kept a menagerie of lizards, turtles, spiders, and other animals, collected rocks and fossils, and blew things up in his small chemistry lab.

Because he moved often, Steve didn't have a large group of friends, and he spent a lot of time with books. His parents read to him until he could read himself, and he became an obsessive reader.

His interest in science led me to believe that I'd be a scientist himself. At the last minute, he chose instead to go to art school in North Carolina, where he studied graphic design. After graduation he moved to New York City, where he worked in advertising and design, first in large firms and then with his wife, Robin Page, in their own small graphic design firm. Robin, also an author and illustrator, is his frequent collaborator — they've made sixteen children's books together.

Their daughter Page was born in 1986 and our son, Alec, two years later. They began reading to them when they were just a few months old, and Steve became interested in making children's books himself. My wife and I read to our two older children almost every night until hisdaughter was 12 or 13, long after they were reading on their own. It was, in many ways, the best part of the day.

In 1994 they moved to from New York City to Boulder, Colorado, where they work in a studio attached to their house, which was built in the 1880s and often functions as if it were still the 19th century.

Their youngest son, Jamie, was born in 1998. The questions his children asked over the years have been the inspiration for many of their books.

Librarian's Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless picture book reminds me a lot of Zoom by Istvan Banyai, in that this book starts way out in space looking at the earth, and slowly zooms in until the reader is looking at a ladybug on the ground.

[Steph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this wordless picture book which zooms starts by looking onto from outer space onto the planet Earth and eventually zooms closer and closer in to see a little ladybug on the ground. Cool concept!

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This wordless picture book is filled with illustrations that start in space and then slowly makes its way down to a littles boys house. This book is detailed in its pictures and is very engaging. Great book for children in grades K-4.

[Maeve · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this wordless picture book, readers view Earth from outer space and get progressively closer through each spread until they view a closeup of a ladybug.

A very interesting concept! Multimedia art.

[Guen Britten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun wordless book that shows how small we really are on our big blue planet

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

2011 Nov 13

Great concept. Really good execution. I enjoyed just looking at the art, and musing on how it was put together. Unfortunately, the experience of starting far out and narrowing focus down to the street level has become so commonplace to me through Google and films that I was just kind of "eh" about the whole thing. My reaction could also be due an ill weekend, since I didn't love anything I looked at last night. Now I'm wondering whether all reviews should include comments upon my health at the time. Or maybe I should stick to beloved re-reads when ill.

***
2012 Aug 2

Going out on a limb here to say that illness did color my previous reading. Because this time I was totally into it, figuring out which part of each picture would be enlarger in the next one, enjoying the different papers he used. the whole thing.

Library copy.

[Becky B · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were an astronaut in space and zoomed in on one spot on Earth, what could you see? This book provides one possible perspective, with each page a little more zoomed in on one spot on Earth.

There's an intro on the inside front cover but other than that no words in this book. Would be good when talking about geography with younger grades as they usually start with a community and then back up to talk about how that's part of a bigger unit such as a city then county, then state and so on.

[Marcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking Down is a cleverly written wordless picture book. Beginning with space, each page thereafter, zooms slowly down to earth until the reader finally sees the corner of a backyard. What was particularly enticing to see were the magnificent cut-paper illustrations! Having taught first grade and focusing on the neighborhood, this would definitely have been one of the books in my classroom collection. Delightful for children all over the world!

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly a picture book. Jenkins walks through the process of what an astronaut would see when looking down from space. No words are on the pages and only images show what is happening. I would love to give this to an early reader, to see what they have to say about each page, each picture. Having an ESL reader interpret their thoughts would be a great way to get them to start talking about books and allowing them to preview something they themselves are interpreting.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A trifle disappointing, but then this was one of Jenkins' earlier books.
I never cease to marvel at how he can make pictures out of cut and torn pieces of paper. This was a wordless book starting out in space and focusing in closer and closer on the earth, a town, a house, and, ultimately, a ladybug. A bit of text, perhaps pointing out a few things, would have enhanced it.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Steve Jenkins, I think, has taken Google Earth & made it his own. The wordless book starts with a picture of the earth & its moon, and zooms in, then zooms some more. It is fantastic, and I cannot tell more, because you have to find it to read for yourself to discover all the secrets. It is truly a wonder!

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

[from book:]

The illustrations are cut-paper collages...

Summary: A series of views of one landscape is seen from progressively lower vantage points, beginning in outer space and ending with a view of a ladybug as seen by a kneeling child.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

A series of views of one landscape is seen from progressively lower vantage points, beginning in outer space and ending with a view of a ladybug as seen by a kneeling child.
There is no text and the illustrations are beautiful collages which might make it not appropriate for story time.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book zooms in from outer space looking at Earth to a young child looking at a ladybug through a magnifying glass. Pictures are collage and easier to look at than Zoom and Re-Zoom by Banyai. No plot, but an interesting concept.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat concept. I'm sure there are many picture books that address this concept. Not my favorite illustrations by Jenkins. I liked how the little boy we look down on is looking down on a bug as well, fun fun!

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Age: Preschool

Starting at Mars, the reader is carried down through space and through Earth, dropping into a small town on the East Coast of the U.S where we finally see a bug magnified by a boy's magnifying glass.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Without any words to distract you, Looking Down takes the reader from outer space to the ladybug. An interesting perspective done artistically. I want to stare forever at the pictures and get lost in every detail.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a wordless book that shows an excellent view that goes from above the earth down to looking at a bug through a magnifying glass. This would work well with satellite pictures from Google to show kids neighborhoods.

[Robert W.]

The book consists of just pictures that zoom in starting from space all the way down to a ladybug.

[Hira · Rating 5 out of 5]

wordless picture books

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordless book with Steve Jenkins' gorgeous torn-paper art, this one is zooms in from outer space down to through a magnifying glass. Good for "zoom in" detail lesson.

[Matthew.m · Rating 5 out of 5]

Down down down is informational.Bacsac its tale you abowt the fish and the water.A qusten is how did thay gat so depa.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would be good to pair with Me on the Map. This was in the Broomfield New books, so I was surprised by the 1995 copyright.

[Michelle Nero · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of "Zoom" - yet I enjoyed zooming into Earth and noticing new details. Great book to spark conversation and questions of wonder.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neat look from space all the way down to a tiny ladybug.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Text to text: Zoom

[Ellen Moore]

One of the more unique things about this book, is that it has no text. The whole book is only collage style illustrations. It starts out way out in space and steadily zooms in and in on to earth and then a town eventually a child looking at a ladybug with a magnifying glass. The inspiration for the story was that author Steve Jenkins’ daughter didn’t understand why everything looked so small when they were in an airplane, so he made this book. I think that’s a very creative way to teach perspective to young children. However, it could even be used with older kids in an art class, when introducing perspective as an art concept.

[Kyle]

This book has no words except for the title. It starts off on a meteorite in space looking at the moon. Then from the moon looking at Earth. It keeps having a progressional movement from on thing to the next until it ends on a boy using a magnifying glass to look at a ladybug.