A worthy continuation of a stellar series.
Although it barks, a Mexican prairie dog is not a canine.
While the “perrito llanero” once dug underground colonies in grasslands from Mexico to Canada, their population declined as farmers took over their lands and culled many of the animals. Interspersed with Spanish words, this clever tribute to an endangered rodent is woven with introductions to shapes. At birth, the prairie dog is a “tiny, hairless thing, nuzzling its mamá with the triángulo of its nose.” As it grows and joins other pups, they eat “grass and plants with their sharp rectángulos for teeth.” Though these animals face perils from humans, they also have allies. A diverse group of schoolchildren on a field trip learn about the prairie dogs and are spurred to help protect them, getting out their “papel cuadrado” (paper in the shape of a square) and writing letters. Their efforts pay off, and a “No farming” sign soon goes up. Now, “as far as those óvalo-shaped eyes can see, there are prairie dogs and prairie dogs and prairie dogs.” Like the creators’ previous titles—Not a Bean (2019) and Not a Monster (2023)—this is a playful look at a potentially misunderstood creature. González’s earth-toned illustrations are both “aw”-inspiring and meticulously detailed, especially the cutaway images of the underground homes. A celebration of environmental action, a look at a most fascinating rodent, and an exploration of Spanish shape words—this one succeeds on all fronts.
A worthy continuation of a stellar series. (Spanish-English glossary, author’s note) (Informational picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781623543044
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
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
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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