An excellent addition to curriculums that tie scientific principles to cultural practices; the work should be embraced by...
A member of the Gitxsan Nation in British Columbia uses his singular perspective to craft this debut picture book about the life cycle and environmental impact of the sockeye salmon.
The narrative follows a sockeye salmon from birth to death, describing each phase of its life and culminating in the fish’s swimming upstream to spawn and die. While there is much literature about the remarkable migration of salmon, this tale succeeds in linking this natural phenomenon to the cultural practices of the Gitxsan and their interpretation of the seasons. The story also emphasizes the migration’s ecological importance. Readers are told that the small sockeye’s “life cycle not only nourishes the people and other beings along the watersheds, it is the whole reason the forests and landscapes exist.” The book is clearly written, and Huson is not shy about using a sophisticated vocabulary, supplementing many passages with definitions or explanations to help readers digest the information. In addition to the scientific terms, readers are introduced to Gitxsan words, phrases, and ideas (“New snow, which the Gitxsan call dalugwa”). The pictures by debut illustrator Donovan are beautifully rendered, reminiscent of ink-and-brush work, and make use of imagery from Pacific Northwest cultures. The book closes with a brief description of the location and practices of the Gitxsan, along with a map.
An excellent addition to curriculums that tie scientific principles to cultural practices; the work should be embraced by libraries to help educate readers about the Gitxsan.Pub Date: March 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-55379-739-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HighWater Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A book about engineering notable mostly for its illustrations of diverse characters. (Board book. 1-3)
Babies and engineers have more in common than you think.
In this book, Alexander highlights the unlikely similarities between babies and engineers. Like engineers, babies ask questions, enjoy building, and learn from their mistakes. Black’s bold, colorful illustrations feature diverse babies and both male- and female-presenting adult characters with a variety of skin tones and hair colors, effectively demonstrating that engineers can be any race or either gender. (Nonbinary models are a little harder to see.) The story ends with a reassurance to the babies in the book that “We believe in you!” presumably implying that any child can be an engineer. The end pages include facts about different kinds of engineers and the basic process used by all engineers in their work. Although the book opens with a rhythmic rhyming couplet, the remaining text lacks the same structure and pattern, making it less entertaining to read. Furthermore, while some of the comparisons between babies and engineers are both clever and apt, others—such as the idea that babies know where to look for answers—are flimsier. The book ends with a text-heavy spread of facts about engineering that, bereft of illustrations, may not hold children’s attention as well as the previous pages. Despite these flaws, on its best pages, the book is visually stimulating, witty, and thoughtful.
A book about engineering notable mostly for its illustrations of diverse characters. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31223-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude.
A deceptively simple, visually appealing, comprehensive explanation of volcanoes.
Gibbons packs an impressive number of facts into this browsable nonfiction picture book. The text begins with the awe of a volcanic eruption: “The ground begins to rumble…ash, hot lava and rock, and gases shoot up into the air.” Diagrams of the Earth’s structural layers—inner and outer core, mantle, and crust—undergird a discussion about why volcanoes occur. Simple maps of the Earth’s seven major tectonic plates show where volcanoes are likeliest to develop. Other spreads with bright, clearly labeled illustrations cover intriguing subtopics: four types of volcanoes and how they erupt; underwater volcanoes; well-known volcanoes and historic volcanic eruptions around the world; how to be safe in the vicinity of a volcano; and the work of scientists studying volcanoes and helping to predict eruptions. A page of eight facts about volcanoes wraps things up. The straightforward, concise prose will be easy for young readers to follow. As always, Gibbons manages to present a great deal of information in a compact form.
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4569-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
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