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WHOSE EGG IS THAT?

From the Whose Is THAT? series

Egg-spect requests for more nature-themed puzzles like this.

Guess whose egg this is.

The format of this interactive introduction to egg identification is unchanged from previous titles in the series (Whose Footprint Is That?, 2019, etc.). On one spread, set against a blank background, the title question is asked, the egg is shown, and a clue—perhaps a part of the creature or a glimpse of its habitat—is given. Turn the page to find the answer along with a short paragraph of further information set on a full-bleed scene of the creature and its nest. Interestingly, birds are not the only animals featured; following robin, ostrich, penguin, and killdeer eggs, we see the fossilized egg of a dinosaur, a leatherback sea turtle’s egg buried in the sand, and even an egg belonging to a mammal—a platypus. The simple, two-level text (both using relatively large type) offers options for beginning readers; the images will show well to a group. The fun is in the puzzle, so those reading this aloud should be sure to give their audience time to react. For those intrigued by the subject, there are further facts on a final page. The creators’ choice of subjects is thoughtful, the information accurate, and the design appealing, making this a solid addition to a nature shelf even if it already includes Mia Posada’s Guess What Is Growing Inside This Egg? (2007). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Egg-spect requests for more nature-themed puzzles like this. (Informational picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-62354-329-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022

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HELLO WINTER!

A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.

Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.

Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.

A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018

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A PLACE FOR RAIN

Enticing and eco-friendly.

Why and how to make a rain garden.

Having watched through their classroom window as a “rooftop-rushing, gutter-gushing” downpour sloppily flooded their streets and playground, several racially diverse young children follow their tan-skinned teacher outside to lay out a shallow drainage ditch beneath their school’s downspout, which leads to a patch of ground, where they plant flowers (“native ones with tough, thick roots,” Schaub specifies) to absorb the “mucky runoff” and, in time, draw butterflies and other wildlife. The author follows up her lilting rhyme with more detailed explanations of a rain garden’s function and construction, including a chart to help determine how deep to make the rain garden and a properly cautionary note about locating a site’s buried utility lines before starting to dig; she concludes with a set of leads to online information sources. Gómez goes more for visual appeal than realism. In her scenes, a group of smiling, round-headed, very small children in rain gear industriously lay large stones along a winding border with little apparent effort; nevertheless, her images of the little ones planting generic flowers that are tall and lush just a page turn later do make the outdoorsy project look like fun.

Enticing and eco-friendly. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: March 12, 2024

ISBN: 9781324052357

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Norton Young Readers

Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024

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