Entertaining and modestly enlightening.
Imagined interviews with 10 wild animals reveal more than just the facts.
With the help of an ingenious invention and a large dose of imagination, Seed talks with animals from all over the world about their lives. The premise that these are his studio guests may draw readers into this mix of fact and fancy. Bengal tiger, wolf, giant anteater, honey badger, jaguar, polar bear, lion, giant armadillo, snow leopard, and three-toed sloth each take their turn to answer the usual sorts of questions, about their looks, their favorite foods and eating habits, and their families and friends, as well as some surprising ones. Much humor comes from the different personalities reflected in their replies: The wolf is ill-tempered; the snow leopard is erudite and must keep rephrasing his answers for the interviewer’s understanding; the sloth can’t stop cracking jokes. Illustrator East’s cheerful cartoon creatures add to the fun. The giant anteater poses like a media star, licking up termites with his superlong, spit-covered tongue. “I know, I’m beautiful, aren’t I?” The honey badger is impressively fierce (though, sadly, the “bees’ nest” supposedly depicted is really a wasps’ nest). The polar bear balances precariously on bits of disappearing ice. Most of these animals state that habitat-destroying humans are a major problem. This English import ends with a reminder to readers that some of these “guests” are endangered, suggesting a variety of ways to help. A final quiz will cement a few fast facts.
Entertaining and modestly enlightening. (Nonfiction. 6-10)Pub Date: July 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-78312-647-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Welbeck Children's
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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