by April Pulley Sayre ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2019
An appealing invitation to look more closely at the world of lizards and a welcome addition to a nature shelf.
Can you behave like a lizard?
Using a series of rhythmic triplets followed by two-syllable lines, Sayre invites young readers and listeners to imagine being a lizard. “Would you lunge like a lizard? / Sponge like a lizard? / Chew bugs like a lizard? / Mouth mash?” (A final page reminds readers to “Be you!”) Once the reader-aloud masters the form, this text would be a delight for storytime, encouraging imitation. Laberis used digital media to create reasonably accurate paintings of the one (occasionally two) lizard that performs the behaviors described, often with a bit of natural background. Each animal shown is clearly labeled with its common name. These 28 lizards are described more fully in short paragraphs keyed to the behavior depicted and headed with the common name, Latin name, usual home, and length in the backmatter. Various expert herpetologists are credited with scientific review of this appealing work by nature-lover Sayre. Some pages include other animals: The opening spread shows an American badger chasing a six-lined racerunner, and the last shows a greater short-horned lizard defending itself from a coyote. These lizards come from around the world; they vary amazingly in shape, size, and habitat. Suggested further resources include both books and websites.
An appealing invitation to look more closely at the world of lizards and a welcome addition to a nature shelf. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62979-211-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
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by April Pulley Sayre & Jeff Sayre ; illustrated by Juliet Menéndez
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by April Pulley Sayre with Jeff Sayre ; photographed by April Pulley Sayre & Jeff Sayre
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by April Pulley Sayre ; photographed by April Pulley Sayre
by Kimberly Derting & Shelli R. Johannes ; illustrated by Vashti Harrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2018
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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by Kimberly Derting & Shelli R. Johannes ; illustrated by Joelle Murray
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by Kimberly Derting & Shelli R. Johannes ; illustrated by Joelle Murray
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by Kimberly Derting & Shelli R. Johannes ; illustrated by Joelle Murray
by Andrew Knapp ; illustrated by Andrew Knapp ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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by Andrew Knapp ; photographed by Andrew Knapp
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