An ambitious feast for the senses.
Pianist and author Gerhard (Simply Fantastic, 2014) returns with a new picture book exploring classical music through the sounds and movements of such “little creatures” as bees, fleas, and frogs, as interpreted by composers all over the world.
Translated from Spanish, this book may help demystify the creepy-crawlies kids encounter and perhaps spark a youngster’s love of nature and observation. An engaging assortment of facts about small animals and insects accompanies acclaimed Mexican illustrator Gómez Morin’s whimsical, surreal, and slightly creepy artwork. Each full-bleed spread echoes characters or themes from its coordinating piece of music: The “Wasp” overture from Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Aristophanic Suite” is paired with illustrations that resemble ancient Greek art, for instance. The featured composers span several hundred years, from the early 1500s (Josquin des Prez) to early 2000s (Kaija Saariaho), and they are predominantly male. An audio CD containing two-minute clips of each piece is included. The CD, combined with the visual components of the book, is somewhat accessible to younger audiences, but the complexity and formatting of the text itself (especially the small font) seem best suited for older readers. It’s a thorough resource for classrooms and homes alike; extensive backmatter includes a listening guide featuring short analyses of each piece, composer biographies, a glossary of classical music terminology, and a timeline.
An ambitious feast for the senses. (Informational picture book/audio CD. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-2-924774-55-7
Page Count: 62
Publisher: The Secret Mountain
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal.
Before growing up to become a major figure in the civil rights movement, a boy finds a role model.
Buffing up a childhood tale told by her renowned father, Young Shelton describes how young Andrew saw scary men marching in his New Orleans neighborhood (“It sounded like they were yelling ‘Hi, Hitler!’ ”). In response to his questions, his father took him to see a newsreel of Jesse Owens (“a runner who looked like me”) triumphing in the 1936 Olympics. “Racism is a sickness,” his father tells him. “We’ve got to help folks like that.” How? “Well, you can start by just being the best person you can be,” his father replies. “It’s what you do that counts.” In James’ hazy chalk pastels, Andrew joins racially diverse playmates (including a White child with an Irish accent proudly displaying the nickel he got from his aunt as a bribe to stop playing with “those Colored boys”) in tag and other games, playing catch with his dad, sitting in the midst of a cheering crowd in the local theater’s segregated balcony, and finally visualizing himself pelting down a track alongside his new hero—“head up, back straight, eyes focused,” as a thematically repeated line has it, on the finish line. An afterword by Young Shelton explains that she retold this story, told to her many times growing up, drawing from conversations with Young and from her own research; family photos are also included. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal. (illustrator’s note) (Autobiographical picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-545-55465-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
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