A broad, if ankle-deep, wade into the ocean.
Questions and answers about our planet’s saltwater flora, fauna, and habitats.
Like the other entries in the Life on Earth series, it’s a flap-lifter’s delight, with multiple die-cut flaps on every heavy stock page that are so tightly integrated into Lozano’s brightly hued cartoon scenes and images of undersea life that they are often a challenge first to spot and then to pry up. The revealed answers cover topics including why oceans are salty, whether sea cucumbers are vegetables and sea sponges animals or plants, how oysters make pearls, and whether T. Rex or turtles came first. Each of the eight double-page spreads presents questions on a general theme such as shells, sharks, or coral reefs. The coverage is sometimes unsystematic (the smallest shark gets a nod, for instance, but not the largest), and occasionally Alexander oversimplifies (seaweed does have roots, of a sort). Nevertheless, readers will come away with a better knowledge of and appreciation for the oceans’ vasty deeps and denizens. Human figures are rare but equally divided between light- and dark-skinned.
A broad, if ankle-deep, wade into the ocean. (Informational novelty. 6-9)Pub Date: March 22, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-78603-058-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
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)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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