Not exactly seamless or systematic but lighthearted enough to draw a crowd.
In this French import, three animal friends spend a weekend in a treehouse observatory, learning about the universe and what makes it tick.
With—initially at least—varying degrees of enthusiasm, Squeak, Orni, and Castor walk away from a city’s light pollution to see night skies thickly strewn with stars open up overhead. The trio then receive a schooling in basic astronomy (“the MOTHER OF ALL SCIENCES!” as astro-geek Squeak proclaims), from the lives of stars and planets to the electromagnetic spectrum and the Big Bang. The topics don’t appear to be organized in any logical order, and readers will likely be left puzzled by the author’s (or perhaps translator’s) unexplained reference to the asteroid belt’s “very peculiar location between Mars and Jupiter,” not to mention being misled by simplistic claims that solar flares are “not dangerous” (they can be) and that planets are by definition “alone in their orbit.” Still, by and large the facts are sound and presented in easily digestible bits interspersed with amusing banter. The three campers, portrayed Walt Kelly–style as anthropomorphic figures with the heads of rodent- or birdlike animals, share borderless panels with images of stellar and interstellar phenomena set against bright white or solid black backdrops. Young skywatchers can test their knowledge by filling in the names of select constellations on a set of sky maps at the end.
Not exactly seamless or systematic but lighthearted enough to draw a crowd. (Graphic nonfiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781778400667
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
An informative, buoyant, and wildly original look at some marine marvels.
In this work of graphic nonfiction, a stubby pink host introduces readers to the other members of a remarkably diverse taxonomic class.
Those who don’t already appreciate the special talents of the four types of cephalopods—octopuses, nautiluses, cuttlefish, and squids—will get both an earful and an eyeful from chatty, pink-cheeked Grimpy (“That’s short for Grimpoteuthis”). The utterly appealing narrator undulates up from the benthic depths to point blunt limbs at various smiling but otherwise accurately rendered relatives while fondly highlighting their intelligence and abilities to disguise themselves by changing shapes and colors, to ooze through the narrowest of gaps, and to escape predators amid billowing inky clouds. Lambelet offers an enchanting blend of whimsy and well-chosen, creatively expressed facts. She covers multiple species, from the Japanese flying squid, which can glide through the air for short distances, to the giant Pacific octopus, which can weigh 100 pounds. And when Grimpy, who can’t fly, glow, change shape, or shoot ink, feels less than special, several cousins gather around to soothingly lay out the unique adaptations that allow dumbos to live at depths of over 23,000 feet, more than twice as deep as any of them. A visual glossary and a photo of the adorably ungainly narrator round off this look at some of the ocean’s more exotic residents.
An informative, buoyant, and wildly original look at some marine marvels. (selected bibliography, further reading) (Graphic nonfiction. 8-10)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9798765661376
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Graphic Universe
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
