A unique and well-organized survey of reproductive behaviors that belongs in every middle and upper school library but will...
“Without animal sex there would be no animal life.”
Downer, author of several acclaimed nonfiction titles about animals, turns her attention to sex. Chapter by chapter, she documents the way animals get one another’s attention through dancing, singing, showing off, gifts, and fragrances. She goes on to describe varieties of sexual equipment (the penis bones called baculums some mammals have, a female hyena’s pseudo-penis, a blanket octopus’s detachable hectocotylus) as well as group sex, once-in-a-lifetime sex, and infidelity. Her exposition is clear. The topic is so engaging and her choices are so varied that the numerous examples never feel like too many. There are hermaphroditic, penis-fencing flat worms, giraffes who pee in the mouths of likely mates to show they are in estrus, and subordinate male gelada baboons who sneak away and do the deed silently and secretly. Dramatic design elements include colorful, stylized print edgings, close-up color stock photographs, and occasional text boxes that break up the pages. An extensive list of suggestions for further information will encourage further research and help convince young readers that she was not making this up!
A unique and well-organized survey of reproductive behaviors that belongs in every middle and upper school library but will probably not last long on the shelf. (notes, glossary, selected bibliography, index, acknowledgements) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4677-8571-6
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
Small but mighty necessary reading.
A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change.
Testa’s connection to and respect for nature compelled her to begin championing animal causes at the age of 10, and this desire to have an impact later propelled her to dedicate her life to fighting plastic pollution. Starting with the history of plastic and how it’s produced, Testa acknowledges the benefits of plastics for humanity but also the many ways it harms our planet. Instead of relying on recycling—which is both insufficient and ineffective—she urges readers to follow two additional R’s: “refuse” and “raise awareness.” Readers are encouraged to do their part, starting with small things like refusing to use plastic straws and water bottles and eventually working up to using their voices to influence business and policy change. In the process, she highlights other youth advocates working toward the same cause. Short chapters include personal examples, such as observations of plastic pollution in Mauritius, her maternal grandparents’ birthplace. Testa makes her case not only against plastic pollution, but also for the work she’s done, resulting in something of a college-admissions–essay tone. Nevertheless, the first-person accounts paired with science will have an impact on readers. Unfortunately, no sources are cited and the lack of backmatter is a missed opportunity.
Brief yet inspirational, this story will galvanize youth to use their voices for change. (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-22333-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
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