A strong statement.
Children have the right to appreciate the diversity of the world, to recognize and take action against environmental threats, and to dream up imaginative ways to save the planet.
Serres, who argued powerfully for the rights enumerated in the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child in I Have the Right To Be a Child, also illustrated by Fronty but translated by Helen Mixter (2012), returns to contend that this treaty also gives children the right to work toward and dream about healing Earth’s ills. Fronty’s folk-style gouache paintings add color and international flavor. The smoothly translated narrative of this French import moves quickly from showing the “free!” world of nature with all its gifts to lamenting human threats: loss of plant and animal species, pollution or waste of precious water, plastic trash, chemicals in food, and climate change. Children, together, can express their anger and dream of and work for change. They can hope we can all share water, food, or other resources. In framing his argument, the author seems to recognize his leap from the relevant sections of the document regarding education that develops “respect for the natural environment” and the freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly. He interprets the statement that “A child’s best interests must always be respected” as including “respecting the child’s magnificent home—the Earth!” He doesn’t include citations from the document nor the sad fact that the U.S. is the only major U.N. country that is not a party. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
A strong statement. (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77306-487-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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