A brilliant use of anthropomorphic animals, serving up facts and entertainment.
Hilarity ensues when animals give presentations about other animals in this translated Dutch import by two award-winning creators.
Upending the assumptions of readers who are used to seeing animals through a human lens, a variety of animals highlight other species in a version of class presentations. A cleaner fish speaks about sharks, in the process providing just as much information on the habits of cleaner fish themselves. A blackbird gives a presentation on the rose-ringed parakeet, before the verbose rose-ringed parakeet runs hilariously overtime in a talk about songbirds. The raucous speakers, who aren’t always identified, often interrupt one another with questions and comments, creating a Greek chorus effect. Tensions arise; the animals attempt to shut down the Gila monster out of fear of his “breath of death.” Cleverly, in defending himself, he manages to convey an abundance of information. The characters’ personalities sometimes emerge in ways that will disrupt readers’ expectations. The creatures represent a global mix—a southern cassowary from Australia presents on hummingbirds of the Americas. The sections are interconnected through satisfying allusions that help create anticipation. Humorous, charming, childlike illustrations of the animals match the off-kilter tone of the text. Rounding out this stellar package, the ending integrates the index—put together by an earthworm and a midwife toad—into the story, while seamlessly and amusingly introducing young readers to how an index functions.
A brilliant use of anthropomorphic animals, serving up facts and entertainment. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781646145102
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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
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
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