bookshelf

THE GREAT WALL THROUGH TIME

Name: THE GREAT WALL THROUGH TIME
Author: DK Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-7440-4848-3

A 2,700-YEAR JOURNEY ALONG THE WORLD'S GREATEST WALL

by DK Publishing ; illustrated by Du Fei ; translated by Wu Qi ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2022

A richly visual and interactive resource for learning about one of the world’s greatest architectural and cultural wonders.

bookshelf

Time-travel along the Great Wall of China in this Chinese import translated by Wu.

At 13,170 miles long and with more than 2,700 years of history, the Great Wall of China is a series of walls and fortifications spanning deserts and mountains. Starting in the city of Nanyang in 656 B.C.E. and ending at the Yanmen Pass in 2022 C.E., the book introduces readers to the awe-inspiring structure’s history, from the influential figures who helped build it to the wall’s evolving uses to notable historical events. Just over a dozen such events are highlighted, with a double-page panoramic scene of a different area of the Great Wall accompanying each short prose overview. Du’s highly detailed realistic illustrations in an earthy palette teem with visual information to pore over. The consistently used bird’s-eye perspective helps establish the immense scale of the Great Wall. Readers see snow-covered mountains, desert sands, green landscapes, and scores of soldiers, laborers, and travelers. As with its predecessor, China Through Time (2020), callouts bordering the pages offer interesting facts and seek-and-find prompts. Hidden in each two-page spread is Hong Yu, a red fox whose activities are used to quiz readers. A short timeline at the closing provides some dynastic context. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A richly visual and interactive resource for learning about one of the world’s greatest architectural and cultural wonders. (glossary) (Nonfiction picture book. 7-10)

Pub Date: March 1, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-7440-4848-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: DK Publishing

Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HISTORY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

bookshelf

1001 BEES

by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2021

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.

bookshelf

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 BIRDS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 ANTS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

bookshelf

I AM GRAVITY

by Henry Herz ; illustrated by Mercè López ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2024

An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.

bookshelf

An introduction to gravity.

The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.

An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)