Though low on frills, as solid an introduction for the age range as can be found in print.
A comprehensive, elementary-level introduction to the honeybee.
In well-organized two-page chapters, Milner explores honeybee colony structure, reproduction, pollination, honey production, the importance of bees to food production, threats, and more. From a brief opening survey of different bee species to a concluding section on planting a pollinator-friendly garden, the facts are unfurled in a direct, unhurried manner. The author carefully pitches her presentation to her audience, often supplying leading questions (“How do bees make honey?”; “What is a swarm?”) as segues. She includes scientific and other specialized vocabulary (“stamen,” “larva,” “waggle dance,” “nurse bee”) naturally and with appropriate context to aid comprehension. Her bright, matte illustrations, dominated by honey yellows, are similarly unfussy, clearly communicating the desired information and offering the occasional challenge (spotting the queen in a swarm). Most humans depicted are white, save in the final spread. The factors contributing to bee-population decline are presented with suitable gravity and with concrete suggestions for readers to help mitigate them (building a “bee hotel”; planting wildflowers). While it’s too bad she uses the sensationalistic term “killer bee” and practicing beekeepers will smirk at the implication they are never stung, the presentation on the whole is both responsible and accurate.
Though low on frills, as solid an introduction for the age range as can be found in print. (Informational picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4654-6553-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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
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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