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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A boon for beaver storytimes or young naturalists living near beaver streams.
Readers learn about a keystone species and the habitat they create.
In a “House That Jack Built” style (though minus the cumulative repetition), Sonenshine introduces children to beavers. Beginning with a beaver who’s just gnawed down a willow near their lodge, the author moves on to the dam that blocks the stream and protects their domed home and then to the yearlings that are working to repair it with sticks and mud. Muskrats and a musk turtle take advantage of the safety of the beavers’ lodge, while Coyote tries (and fails) to breach it. Then the book turns to other animals that enjoy the benefits of the pond the beavers have created: goose, ducklings, heron, moose. While the beavers aren’t in all these illustrations, evidence of them is. And then suddenly a flood takes out both the dam and the beavers’ lodge. So, the beavers move upstream to find a new spot to dam and build again, coming full circle back to the beginning of the book. Hunter’s ink-and–colored pencil illustrations have a scratchy style that is well suited to the beavers’ pelts, their watery surroundings, and the other animals that share their habitat. Careful observers will be well rewarded by the tiny details. Beavers are mostly nocturnal, which isn’t always faithfully depicted by Hunter. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A boon for beaver storytimes or young naturalists living near beaver streams. (beaver facts, glossary, further resources) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1868-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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