Lively affirmation for budding entomologists.
Rhyming couplets meet larger-than-life creatures that are loosely considered bugs.
Technically, bugs comprise only a part of the insect family, but this text is more rudimentary than some of its contemporaries. The opening couplet sets the tone for rather banal text that sometimes struggles to achieve a fluid rhythm: “Secret cities buzz and bustle / with itty-bitty hard-work hustle.” (The book’s final verse, in particular, requires rehearsal for those planning to read it aloud.) Still, the large font and sparse print may encourage emergent readers to take on some new sight words, such as mandibles. Additional, smaller-font prose, which appears on most pages, links human and bug activities—as in, carpenter ants rebuilding forests by breaking down old timber and builders clearing a construction site. The colorful, dioramalike art is reminiscent of animated films of the late 1990s from the likes of Pixar or DreamWorks. Squeamish readers will not overcome entomophobia, but those already fascinated will enjoy the ride. How could a bug lover not appreciate two dung beetles who seem to be conversing across their ball of poop? Beyond its three-dimensional flora and fauna, the art includes two wide-eyed, observant girls, both brown-skinned. The backmatter offers more information in prose: specific ways that bugs fit into the web of life; a page with random data-driven facts; and a surprisingly detailed and interesting explanation of how the artist created the illustrations.
Lively affirmation for budding entomologists. (Informational picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 22, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5740-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
Captivating—and not a bit terrifying.
Catering to young scientists, naturalists, and Shark Week fans–to-be, this visually arresting volume presents a good deal of information in easily digested bites.
Like others in the Block Books series, this book feels both compact and massive. When closed, it is 5.5 inches across, 6.5 inches tall, and nearly 2 inches thick, weighty and solid, with stiff cardboard pages that boast creative die cuts and numerous fold-out three- and four-panel tableaux. While it’s possible it’s not the only book with a dorsal fin, it certainly must be among the best. The multiracial cast of aquarium visitors includes a Sikh man with his kids and a man of color who uses a wheelchair; there they discover the dramatic degree of variations among sharks. The book begins with a trip to a shark exhibit, complete with a megalodon jaw. The text points out that there are over 400 known types of sharks alive today, then introduces 18 examples, including huge whale sharks, tiny pocket sharks, and stealthy, well-camouflaged wobbegongs. Reef sharks prowl the warm waters of the surface, while sand tiger sharks explore shipwrecks on the ocean floor. Bioluminescent catsharks reside at the bottom of an inky black flap that folds down, signifying the deepest ocean depths, where no sunlight penetrates. Great whites get star treatment with four consecutive two-page spreads; their teeth and appetite impress but don’t horrify. The book does a wonderful job of highlighting the interconnectedness of species and the importance of environmental stewardship.
Captivating—and not a bit terrifying. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4119-7
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Skimpy with just six spreads but, like its companions, a simple, serene seasonal posy.
Carter completes his round of seasonal tributes with pop-up sprays of luscious-looking small fruits, garden bounty, and bright flowers.
As before, the locale is a generalized western United States, and both early- and late-season flora and foliage are on display in the same scenes. Along with lots of labels for the neatly limned animals and vegetation in each broad, idyllic landscape—from a “cedar waxwing” nibbling on a “cherry” to the marbled-paper “chickens” pecking beneath a tree heavy with ripe apples—he adds leading questions (“Who eats the flowers?” “Who looks like a stick?”) to invite closer looks. Frisky “chipmunks” are named in the first tableau, then visible without an identifier in each of the following five for younger viewers to point out. Highlighted by a spiraling cucumber vine that turns the vegetable garden into a convincing tangle, the pop-ups are simple and (relatively) sturdy but rear gracefully to surprising heights considering the volume’s small trim size.
Skimpy with just six spreads but, like its companions, a simple, serene seasonal posy. (Informational pop-up picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2832-7
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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