Pun-ishing prose aside, a treasure chest of insights into our past, and our planet’s, too.
A dig into some of the greatest hits of not just archaeology, but paleontology and geology, too.
Written and designed in accordance with the principle that anything worth doing is worth overdoing, this highlight reel survey offers an outstanding gallery of finds with clear explanations of their significance—framed, unfortunately, in bursts of overwrought, pun-tastic prose that has been set in arbitrary mixes of font and typeface and scattered in sometimes hard-to-follow bits angled or curved to fit around busy montages of small workers, bystanders, sites, and artifacts. The rewards of staying the course are many, though: Along with the familiar likes of the Rosetta Stone (“a discovery that would ROCK the world”) and the location of the literally “Earth-shattering” asteroid that put paid to all the nonflying dinosaurs, readers are treated to plenty of less high-profile finds, from fossilized poop in Spain that proved Neanderthals to be omnivores and a spear point found in a prehistoric bison that pushed human presence in North America back at least 7,000 years (“incredi-BULL”) to the clean underwear in King Tut’s tomb. Stewart opens with an acknowledgment that many artifacts are stolen goods at the outset and notes that the proto-human dubbed Lucy by her American finders is named Dinkinesh in her native Ethiopia. Harris adds a dark-skinned young tour guide to illustrations; other characters are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Pun-ishing prose aside, a treasure chest of insights into our past, and our planet’s, too. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9781510230415
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Laurence King
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
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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