An immersive, exquisitely illustrated trip to the fungal kingdom.
Led by Gaya, a team of mycologists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, offers an irresistible, oversized introduction to fungi.
Dedicated to the “next generation of mycologists,” this well-designed handbook approximates a tour of a museum, or “fungarium,” complete with foil ticket for entry and four galleries—“Fungal Biology,” “Fungal Diversity,” “Fungal Interactions,” and “Fungi and Humans.” Stop-you-in-your-tracks biological illustrations colorfully depict spores, yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. Specific delights include a chanterelle, with its sunny yellow curves and false gills; a tendrilled jellyspot fungus; and a stark white, poisonous destroying angel. Even the monochromatic endpapers are frameworthy. Gaya and her co-authors allay mycophobia in young naturalists (“fungi…represent some of the world’s finest delicacies”) but, smartly, not entirely (“remember that some of them may kill you”). The book revels in and conveys the magic of fungi, which are not only necessary to make beer, bread, most cheeses, chocolate, and wine (more than enough reason to inspire fungiphilia), but are also key to the survival of 90% of plants as well as our own survival via penicillin and other medicines. Kid-pleasing macabre facts abound: The zombie ant fungus “grows in the body of the ant,” forcing the insect to disseminate its spores. The backmatter “library” (list of curators, index, additional resources) is helpful. Sadly, there is no glossary: While the prose is clear enough for older readers, this book relies heavily on Latin and scientific terms that aren’t always defined.
An immersive, exquisitely illustrated trip to the fungal kingdom. (Nonfiction. 8-adult)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1709-4
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Big Picture/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
A book about engineering notable mostly for its illustrations of diverse characters. (Board book. 1-3)
Babies and engineers have more in common than you think.
In this book, Alexander highlights the unlikely similarities between babies and engineers. Like engineers, babies ask questions, enjoy building, and learn from their mistakes. Black’s bold, colorful illustrations feature diverse babies and both male- and female-presenting adult characters with a variety of skin tones and hair colors, effectively demonstrating that engineers can be any race or either gender. (Nonbinary models are a little harder to see.) The story ends with a reassurance to the babies in the book that “We believe in you!” presumably implying that any child can be an engineer. The end pages include facts about different kinds of engineers and the basic process used by all engineers in their work. Although the book opens with a rhythmic rhyming couplet, the remaining text lacks the same structure and pattern, making it less entertaining to read. Furthermore, while some of the comparisons between babies and engineers are both clever and apt, others—such as the idea that babies know where to look for answers—are flimsier. The book ends with a text-heavy spread of facts about engineering that, bereft of illustrations, may not hold children’s attention as well as the previous pages. Despite these flaws, on its best pages, the book is visually stimulating, witty, and thoughtful.
A book about engineering notable mostly for its illustrations of diverse characters. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31223-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude.
A deceptively simple, visually appealing, comprehensive explanation of volcanoes.
Gibbons packs an impressive number of facts into this browsable nonfiction picture book. The text begins with the awe of a volcanic eruption: “The ground begins to rumble…ash, hot lava and rock, and gases shoot up into the air.” Diagrams of the Earth’s structural layers—inner and outer core, mantle, and crust—undergird a discussion about why volcanoes occur. Simple maps of the Earth’s seven major tectonic plates show where volcanoes are likeliest to develop. Other spreads with bright, clearly labeled illustrations cover intriguing subtopics: four types of volcanoes and how they erupt; underwater volcanoes; well-known volcanoes and historic volcanic eruptions around the world; how to be safe in the vicinity of a volcano; and the work of scientists studying volcanoes and helping to predict eruptions. A page of eight facts about volcanoes wraps things up. The straightforward, concise prose will be easy for young readers to follow. As always, Gibbons manages to present a great deal of information in a compact form.
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4569-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
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