Eloquent and informative.
An invitation to learn more about the largest living fish and to help in efforts to keep them from becoming extinct.
“They’re the biggest fish in the world, but they eat the smallest things in the sea.” In an appeal aimed largely at fledgling chapter-book readers, Sanchez begins with distinctive basic facts about whale sharks’ feeding habits (though “the size of a school bus,” they eat only plankton and “teeny minnows and sardines”), their need to travel far in search of food, and their ovoviviparous reproduction. She then explains how, between becoming disposable “bycatch” in commercial fishing and being harvested for their own meat, oil, and fins (for soup), their populations have dropped 50% over the past 75 years to the point that they have been designated as endangered. Another major threat, Sanchez notes, is floating plastic…and perhaps the most affecting passage here is her account of the 2019 discovery of a young whale shark that starved to death after a plastic bag clogged its digestive tract. Following this buildup, the author offers 11 helpful activities and measures for eco-activists, including, in a sign that this is not addressed just to younger audiences, a strong suggestion to register and vote for candidates who support environmental protections. In the book’s introduction, Clinton stresses that even small actions can make a real difference when it comes to helping the environment. The speckled giants, mouths agape, pose in a sparse assortment of murky black-and-white photos.
Eloquent and informative. (bibliography) (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-40426-3
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
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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