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SEARCH FOR A GIANT SQUID

Name: SEARCH FOR A GIANT SQUID
Author: Amy Seto Forrester
ISBN: 978-1-79721-393-4

PICK YOUR PATH

by Amy Seto Forrester ; illustrated by Andy Chou Musser ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 25, 2023

An engaging, fun, and deep guide to how sea research happens.

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The rarely seen giant squid is pursued by a research crew in a choose-your-own-adventure–style science book.

An ocean expedition sounds fun and exciting, but it takes a lot of work and a lot of people to pull it off. A large group of scientists and crew, all of whom appear to be people of color, sets out to learn more about giant squids. The book first introduces the array of workers on a research vessel, then later allows readers to select a pilot, a submersible, and a site to explore, among other options. Some dead ends lead back to earlier in the adventure. Those who make it to the end are rewarded by seeing the squid in its natural habitat. Along the way, the author, a Kirkus reviewer, informs readers about the largest squid ever (43 feet long) and the difference between a submarine and a human-occupied submersible; excitingly, readers are also told that “the giant squid’s natural habitat is the twilight zone. If you tried to swim there, your body would get squished by water pressure.” The friendly and fun exploration never gets too far into the science or the tools that it loses sight of the human faces driving the work with their preparation and skills.

An engaging, fun, and deep guide to how sea research happens. (note from the author and illustrator, special thanks to, animals in this book (common and scientific names), glossary, further reading and websites, bibliography, random facts) (Nonfiction. 6-9)

Pub Date: April 25, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-79721-393-4

Page Count: 96

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

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BUTT OR FACE?

by Kari Lavelle ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 11, 2023

A gleeful game for budding naturalists.

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Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.

In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: July 11, 2023

ISBN: 9781728271170

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore

Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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by Kari Lavelle ; illustrated by Bryan Collier

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by Kari Lavelle ; illustrated by Nabi H. Ali

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I AM GRAVITY

by Henry Herz ; illustrated by Mercè López ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2024

An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.

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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)