A strong choice for any young reader interested in the natural world.
A hands-on handbook that traverses nine habitats around the globe, sharing stories of nature protectors and encouraging new ones.
Well-designed and smartly organized, this handsome title demonstrates the wide range of ways the environment can be protected. Each chapter focuses on one habitat: mountains, forests, deserts, polar lands, ocean, freshwater, cities, rainforests, and grasslands. The structure of each chapter is simple to follow and is repeated consistently, including profiles of two individuals, a description of a natural wonder, creative ways to experience the habitat close to home, an environmental success story, a DIY project, and concrete steps readers can take to protect this habitat. With every turn of the page, stimulating stories, compelling facts, colorful pictures, and action items provide ideas for readers. The biographies and success stories are entertaining human-interest tales that read like short stories. The habitat protectors vary in age, gender, ability, nationality, and race—some, like Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, are modern while others, such as Central Park designer Frederick Law Olmsted, are historical. The suggested activities are interdisciplinary, providing inspiration that proves that all types of people can enjoy and protect nature. Orlando’s truly beautiful art, with its soft edges and natural tones, contributes to the inviting, welcoming reading experience.
A strong choice for any young reader interested in the natural world. (bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 25, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-68369-246-1
Page Count: 232
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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 variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information.
Two youngsters embark on a journey peppered with history, trivia, and skits while teaching money lessons.
Meet Mellody and John, the young stars of this currency showcase. Their very first dialogue offers a taste of the intriguing information to come, from the ancient Mayans’ use of cacao beans as payment to the origins of the piggy bank. The book offers a chronologically and geographically broad timeline of the history of money, encompassing the past 3.9 billion years (starting with meteorite crashes that scattered metals—“the very first bank deposit”) and referencing practices across five continents. Readers will find themselves eagerly sharing the facts gleaned here, including the centuries-old origins of terms and expressions still used today. Mellody and John’s fun banter crucially reflects their experiences with money, such as their families’ differing attitudes toward allowances. Both are savers as well as givers, sharing stories about giving to charity. In one especially entertaining section, a cat and a bunny converse in money-related catchphrases that are separately defined at the bottom of each page. Stevens’ watercolors are appropriately realistic and appealing, whether depicting Mellody’s pretend bank or Elizabeth II’s butler ironing a 10-pound note. Messages about money’s use as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, ensure that readers will think about their own purposes for their savings. Mellody and John are Black.
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781536224719
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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