A sly conceit, played more for chortles than chills.
A French comics artist expands a botanical ramble by envisioning 20 flowers as creepy creatures.
Accompanied by brief but chatty descriptive and historical notes, a set of freely rendered common tree and garden flowers transform into disarmingly awkward-looking “monsters” with appropriately malaprop characteristics and all-cap monikers. Camellias become MONSTRELLIAS, soothing lavender transforms into cozy feline LAVENDOGRES, and DANDEMONSTERS reflect the diuretic effects of dandelions by peeing in bed. Except for molelike HYAMONSTERS, which look like they’re bleeding, the visuals follow the comical or satirical tone of the narrative. Elderberry stamens resemble “snails’ eyes,” while poisonous buttercups are compared to “the classic teenager” because they have oily skin and peach-fuzz mustaches: “cute but certainly not without toxic traits.” Le Men does slip in occasional national stereotypes (“True to their name, Japanese anemones owe their elegance to their simplicity”), and her explanation of how mimosas—by which she means the Australian version—are really acacias while what Americans call “acacias” actually belong to a different family is likely to leave readers more confused than enlightened. Still, it’s a fun premise, and youngsters will likely find both her taste for gross details and her closing guidelines for creating yet more floral monsters entertaining.
A sly conceit, played more for chortles than chills. (Nonfiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9783039640362
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Helvetiq
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill.
Grown-ups may not be the only audience for this simple explanation of how algorithms work.
Taking a confused-looking hipster parent firmly in hand, a child first points to all the computers around the house (“Pro Tip: When dealing with grown-ups, don’t jump into the complicated stuff too fast. Start with something they already know”). Next, the child leads the adult outside to make and follow step-by-step directions for getting to the park, deciding which playground equipment to use, and finally walking home. Along the way, concepts like conditionals and variables come into play in street maps and diagrams, and a literal bug stands in for the sort that programmers will inevitably need to find and solve. The lesson culminates in an actual sample of very simple code with labels that unpack each instruction…plus a pop quiz to lay out a decision tree for crossing the street, because if “your grown-up can explain it, that shows they understand it!” That goes for kids, too—and though Spiro doesn’t take the logical next step and furnish leads to actual manuals, young (and not so young) fledgling coders will find plenty of good ones around, such as Get Coding! (2017), published by Candlewick, or Rachel Ziter’s Coding From Scratch (2018).
A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781623543181
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
