A visually evocative and mentally stimulating introduction to a climatologist.
A nonfiction children’s book focuses on a meteorology pioneer.
In this 10th installment of a science series, Pattison tells the story of Wladimir Köppen, a German Russian geographer and meteorologist who created the world’s first climate map. The illustrated book opens in 1859, when 13-year-old Köppen traveled by train with his family from St. Petersburg, Russia, to Crimea. During the journey, Köppen looked out the window, noticing the landscape changes. St. Petersburg had rainy weather, pine trees, and swamps; Moscow featured forests filled with birch, willow, and larch trees; and Crimea boasted oaks, pines, and firs. Köppen was curious about these differences. After graduating from college, he became a weatherman in Hamburg, Germany. He traveled extensively, setting up weather stations with thermometers, anemometers, and rain gauges; then, he gathered data via telegraph and made a daily weather map. Over time, weather patterns emerged. While other countries collected similar data to create maps, there was no information on the Atlantic Ocean, so Köppen worked with sailors to gather that material. He published atlases of the Indian Ocean (1891) and the Pacific (1896) and a book titled Climate Science(1899). His next project involved creating a kite station to measure upper atmospheric data. Eventually, all his work came together in the Köppen-Geiger climate map, which defined the world’s five major climate categories: tropical, arid, temperate, continental, and polar. Pattison effectively conveys Köppen’s curiosity, determination, and enthusiasm in this story by incorporating captivating details about his personality and habits. For example, Köppen was a night owl who often toiled by candlelight. His motto “Without hurry, without rest” guided his approach to work. The descriptions of nature are vibrant: “The sky swirled with the bright colors of children’s kites dancing in the wind.” But the book’s complex subject matter and specialized terminology may be challenging for the young readers drawn to the tale’s picture-book format. Still, Willis’ artwork beautifully captures the striking Russian forests; the cold, damp atmosphere of the North Sea coast; and the blustery autumn in Hamburg.
A visually evocative and mentally stimulating introduction to a climatologist.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9781629443058
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Mims House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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