In this peek into the care of zoo babies, readers will learn not only about chimpanzees, but will also reinforce their math skills. In a split-page format, the reader views pictures and text about Jiggs and his growth on the right-hand pages. His story begins with his birth as a scrawny and weak baby. When his mother ignores him, he’s placed in an incubator and cared for by a human baby doctor. As he gains strength, he spends his days in the zoo nursery and his nights at the home of Cindy, a veterinary assistant. He’s later joined in the nursery by Giorgio, a jaguar cub whom he helps to care for, feed, and keep safe. As he grows older, though, he is placed back among chimpanzees. This ecological message is an important one—zoo animals are still wild animals and not pets. Left-hand pages present the math—visuals that show a graph of Jiggs’s weight gain, a timeline of his feeding schedule, the daily charts Cindy keeps of his naps, snacks, and activities, and a chart comparing Jiggs to wild chimps in the achievement of certain milestones: climbing up a branch, combing another’s fur, etc. These pages do not simply repeat information from the storyline. Readers use the math presented in order to learn more about chimps—an excellent educational method. The authors also explain how time is told, why charts are useful tools, and how graphs are read, and introduce children to a time-related vocabulary. Readers will certainly be struck by the amazing similarity between chimp and human babies. Nagda (Snake Charmer, p. 663, etc.) has done it once again, combining multiple disciplines and teaching in a non-threatening, as-you-need-it manner. Great for a future Jane Goodall and a wonderful teaching tool for elementary teachers. (Nonfiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-8050-6674-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2002
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Lively fun with animal friends.
Has Plum’s pep deserted him?
Several animals from the Athensville Zoo are on their way to visit an elementary school. Overconfident Itch the ningbing (an Australian marsupial), unaware that zookeeper Lizzie will be doing all the talking, looks forward to “lecturing eager young minds.” Plum, the usually chipper peacock, on the other hand, is anxious—maybe the schoolchildren won’t like him or he’ll get lost. So when they arrive at the school to find the students have been sent home due to a blizzard, Plum is relieved. The animals are left in a school gym for the night until three self-important class mice free them. Itch heads for the library to meet the learned turtle, but Plum reluctantly explores with his friends. When his anxiety peaks, they reassure him, and when the mice reject Meg, another peacock, as “borrrring” and uncool, they buoy her as well before everyone comes together to save Itch, who finds himself outside and stranded in a snowdrift. Unlike Leave It to Plum (2022), this is not a mystery, and the relationship focus shifts from Lizzie to the rodents, but the pace is brisk, and sequel seekers will be pleased to revisit familiar characters (if dismayed that Itch’s longing for knowledge leads to his downfall). In Phelan’s engaging grayscale pen-and-wash illustrations, Lizzie has short curly hair; text and art cue her as Latine.
Lively fun with animal friends. (how to draw Plum) (Chapter book. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-06-307920-5
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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