An outstanding resource that depicts the winding and complex journey of scientific exploration.
A look at a father-and-son team’s journey to discover the scientific reasons why dinosaurs went extinct.
The book opens with dynamic black-and-white illustrations that dramatically depict the thriving flora and fauna of the Cretaceous Period, including dinosaurs, plants, and microscopic life. But what happened to the dinosaurs? Luis and Walter Alvarez, Cuban American father-and-son scientists, set out to solve this mystery. In 1980, they published a paper in Science magazine describing their hypothesis that an “extraterrestrial impact somewhere on Earth” led to the dinosaurs’ extinction. Strong, descriptive writing interspersed with engaging graphic novel panels together support the explanation of complex scientific concepts, including plate tectonics, historical evidence in rocks, and how evidence from outer space and the ocean connects to Earth’s geologic time scale. The Alvarezes spent years gathering proof to support their hypothesis, but the book shows how scientific theories are often controversial and even divisive. Informative sidebars highlight the diverse group of scientists who contributed to solving the mystery of extinction. But as is often the case, one finding leads to many more questions: “In science, no one has the last word.” The book closes by introducing contemporary scientists who are researching the doomsday event. Packed with explanations of scientific terminology and methods of operation, this detailed and compelling book is a superb guide for curious STEM-focused readers.
An outstanding resource that depicts the winding and complex journey of scientific exploration. (guide to scientific practices, glossary, source notes, endnotes, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 10-13)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781643791098
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Tu Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
Logically pointing out that the American cowboy archetype didn’t spring up from nowhere, Sandler, author of Cowboys (1994) and other volumes in the superficial, if luxuriously illustrated, “Library of Congress Book” series, looks back over 400 years of cattle tending in North America. His coverage ranges from the livestock carried on Columbus’s second voyage to today’s herding-by-helicopter operations. Here, too, the generous array of dramatic early prints, paintings, and photos are more likely to capture readers’ imaginations than the generality-ridden text. But among his vague comments about the characters, values, and culture passed by Mexican vaqueros to later arrivals from the Eastern US, Sadler intersperses nods to the gauchos, llaneros, and other South American “cowmen,” plus the paniolos of Hawaii, and the renowned African-American cowboys. He also decries the role film and popular literature have played in suppressing the vaqueros’ place in the history of the American West. He tackles an uncommon topic, and will broaden the historical perspective of many young cowboy fans, but his glance at modern vaqueros seems to stop at this country’s borders. Young readers will get a far more detailed, vivid picture of vaquero life and work from the cowboy classics in his annotated bibliography. (Notes, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Jan. 15, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6019-7
Page Count: 116
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2000
An introduction to ancient Egypt and the Pharaohs buried in the Valley of the Kings. The authors begin with how archaeologist Howard Carter found the tomb of King Tut, then move back 3,000 years to the time of Thutmosis I, who built the first tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Finally they describe the building of the tomb of a later Pharaoh, Ramses II. The backward-forward narration is not always easy to follow, and the authors attribute emotions to the Pharaohs without citation. For example, “Thutmosis III was furious [with Hatshepsut]. He was especially annoyed that she planned to be buried in KV 20, the tomb of her father.” Since both these people lived 3,500 years ago, speculation on who was furious or annoyed should be used with extreme caution. And the tangled intrigue of Egyptian royalty is not easily sorted out in so brief a work. Throughout, though, there are spectacular photographs of ancient Egyptian artifacts, monuments, tomb paintings, jewels, and death masks that will appeal to young viewers. The photographs of the exposed mummies of Ramses II, King Tut, and Seti I are compelling. More useful for the hauntingly beautiful photos than the text. (brief bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7922-7223-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
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