Another solid shape book that will grow with young geometry learners; don’t let the picture-book format fool you—high...
Following Triangles (2014), Adler and Miller tackle another shape.
Again beginning with a definition and descriptions of basic three-dimensional figures and what they are called (sphere, cone, cylinder), Adler quickly ramps up to naming the parts of a circle—radius, diameter, chord, arc. Readers use their own circles, traced onto and cut from paper, and rulers (marked only in English measurements in Miller’s illustrations) to explore these concepts as well as symmetry and intersection. Brightly colored cartoon animals created from geometric shapes (largely circles) ask children to find and count radii, major and minor sectors, and chords. The learning deepens again as Adler looks at ways to find the circumference and area of a circle and the formulas involving pi. The only mathematical calculations readers are asked to do is in determining the area of six different circles using the formula radius x radius x pi = area. A final page looks at the usefulness and ubiquity of circles, though it seems more of an introduction than a conclusion, especially given its simplicity after some math that can be pretty difficult for young learners. Backmatter includes a glossary and the answers to the questions posed in the text.
Another solid shape book that will grow with young geometry learners; don’t let the picture-book format fool you—high schoolers could use some of this math. (Informational picture book. 6-14)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3642-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Trisha is ready to start at a new school, where no one will know she has dyslexia. At first, she is heartbroken to be in Miss Peterson’s special-ed class, aka, “the junkyard.” But Miss Peterson treats the children as anything but junk, showing them that everyone has a unique talent. Polacco’s trademark style is fully present here; her sensitively drawn alter ego shines with depth of feeling. When bullying occurs, Miss Peterson proves her students are worthwhile by planning a junkyard field trip, where they find valuable objects to be used in exciting ways. Trisha’s group repairs a plane, and the class buys an engine for it. Then a beloved class member dies, and the children must find a way to honor him. While the plot meanders somewhat, the characters are appealing, believable and provide a fine portrayal of a truly special class. Children will be drawn in by the story’s warmth and gentle humor and will leave with a spark of inspiration, an appreciation of individual differences and a firm anti-bullying message, all underscored by the author’s note that concludes the book. (Picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-399-25078-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2010
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