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WHAT'S THIS TAIL SAYING?

Name: WHAT'S THIS TAIL SAYING?
Author: Carolyn Combs
ISBN: 978-1-58469-662-9

by Carolyn Combs ; illustrated by Cathy Morrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2020

Although the text is awkward, savvy adults can use the whole package to initiate conversations.

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Tails communicate volumes in these encounters among many animals.

Animal interlocutors include a fox and a skunk, a beaver family, courting peacocks, a skink and a raccoon, and more. In every recto-verso sequence one animal responds with a tail action to another animal, with an explanation on the following page. The text is fairly simple and repetitive in format, blending prose and simplistic, rhyming phrases. A small monkey called a marmoset from Brazil (the location is mentioned only in the extensive backmatter) attempts to steal an egg from a nest. The text reads: “An egg thief is startled by a squawking mother bird. Fluff Puff. What’s the marmoset’s tail saying?” After the page turn, the text reads: “I had a fright! Hold me tight! The family cuddles and comforts the little one.” In the first picture, the baby marmoset’s tail expands to show its terror as the bird attacks it to save its young. When adult marmosets rescue their baby, the tails all go back to normal. The heavily detailed paintings realistically depict the animals and their environments, with meticulously rendered flora. A backmatter section for children includes animal descriptions (with small color photos) written at a higher reading level than the main text, and a separate one for caregivers includes an author’s note, tips for use, and related STEM and social-emotional–development activities.

Although the text is awkward, savvy adults can use the whole package to initiate conversations. (Informational picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: March 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-58469-662-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dawn Publications

Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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BIRD BUILDS A NEST

A FIRST SCIENCE STORYBOOK

by Martin Jenkins ; illustrated by Richard Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2018

A worthy, if somewhat forced, venture into multidisciplinary teaching for very young children that may require caregivers to...

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A generic mother bird learns to conquer the forces of physics while going about her daily chores.

In an unusual take on the well-worn topic of birds and their nests, the common activities associated with feeding and nest-building are used to teach the science of force and gravity, albeit at a very elementary level. The preface encourages caregivers to discuss the law of motion, stating that “More force is needed to change the motion of heavier objects than to change the motion of lighter objects.” (Caregivers may find themselves searching for other words to make this clear to youngsters.) Furthermore, “Earth’s gravity pulls objects towards the Earth, which makes things fall down when they are dropped.” Aspects of these principles are illustrated with somewhat dated-looking mixed-media pictures in a muddy color palette as the bird pulls worms out of the ground; struggles to find twigs light enough to carry; creates a nest with twigs, feathers, and grass; and finally lays five speckled eggs, out of which hatch baby birds. Five questions again address the physics illustrated in the story, asking about pushing, pulling, moving, and dropping.

A worthy, if somewhat forced, venture into multidisciplinary teaching for very young children that may require caregivers to do some heavy lifting of their own. (index) (Informational picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-7636-9346-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Oct. 29, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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FIND OUT ABOUT ANIMAL CAMOUFLAGE
by Martin Jenkins ; illustrated by Jane McGuinness

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PUFFIN
by Martin Jenkins ; illustrated by Jenni Desmond

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A WALK THROUGH THE RAIN FOREST
by Martin Jenkins ; illustrated by Vicky White

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WHOSE BABY BUTT?

by Stan Tekiela ; photographed by Stan Tekiela ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2018

With the possible exception of the opossum’s unlovely behind, more likely to elicit responses of “Cute!” than “Gross!”...

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A wildlife photographer follows up Whose Butt? (2012) with a fresh portfolio of posteriors.

Showing no traces of fecal matter and only rarely even a glimpse of bare skin, the fuzzy or feathery fundaments on view belong to young creatures ranging from moose to mustang, cottontail to sandhill crane—all photographed in outdoor settings and all followed by longer-shot views of the whole animal, usually with a parent. The accompanying hints and nature notes are informative, if cutesy (“HANG ON! Baby opossums can hang by their tails, but as they grow, they become too heavy for upside-down fun”). In a more businesslike listing at the end, the author adds further comments about diet, range, and behavior for each, along with smaller headshots. Though any mention or image of “butts” will reliably get a rise from young audiences, overall this is more about baby animals in general than a specific portion of their anatomy.

With the possible exception of the opossum’s unlovely behind, more likely to elicit responses of “Cute!” than “Gross!” (Informational picture book. 4-6)