Curious youngsters will eagerly flock to this fascinating book.
Are humans unique? No! We belong to a community of critters.
Hoare and Lloyd find multiple, and sometimes surprising, commonalities between humans and other animals, starting and ending at the genetic level. We’re all made of cells, we all have internal clocks, we all have feelings, and we all communicate. Along the way, the authors answer basic biological questions: How are animals classified? How do they grow? Why is oxygen so important? Hoare and Lloyd also provide plenty of astonishing facts about the things that set various creatures apart: Turtles can breathe through their bottoms. Leeches have 32 brains. Our human “body clock” is the size of a poppy seed. Bees can clamp their jaws on a plant to sleep, while chinstrap penguins take thousands of micro-naps a day. Rats love to have their tummies tickled; humans and bananas share 50% of their genes. The writing is informative, though jargon-free and conversational, often addressing readers directly. The section on poop is bound to be especially popular. Colorful stylized illustrations add detail, mostly depicting the animals close up or in isolation, but sometimes portraying them in their natural habitats. Occasional photographs are interspersed. The few humans shown are racially diverse.
Curious youngsters will eagerly flock to this fascinating book. (glossary, selected sources, picture credits, index) (Informational picture book. 8-12)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781804661468
Page Count: 48
Publisher: What on Earth Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information.
Two youngsters embark on a journey peppered with history, trivia, and skits while teaching money lessons.
Meet Mellody and John, the young stars of this currency showcase. Their very first dialogue offers a taste of the intriguing information to come, from the ancient Mayans’ use of cacao beans as payment to the origins of the piggy bank. The book offers a chronologically and geographically broad timeline of the history of money, encompassing the past 3.9 billion years (starting with meteorite crashes that scattered metals—“the very first bank deposit”) and referencing practices across five continents. Readers will find themselves eagerly sharing the facts gleaned here, including the centuries-old origins of terms and expressions still used today. Mellody and John’s fun banter crucially reflects their experiences with money, such as their families’ differing attitudes toward allowances. Both are savers as well as givers, sharing stories about giving to charity. In one especially entertaining section, a cat and a bunny converse in money-related catchphrases that are separately defined at the bottom of each page. Stevens’ watercolors are appropriately realistic and appealing, whether depicting Mellody’s pretend bank or Elizabeth II’s butler ironing a 10-pound note. Messages about money’s use as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, ensure that readers will think about their own purposes for their savings. Mellody and John are Black.
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781536224719
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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