An appetizing guide to space-station dining.
Today’s astronauts have way more culinary options than Tang and freeze-dried fare.
Drawing from the experiences of astronauts at the International Space Station, Taylor addresses readers directly, as if they, too, were traveling in space. She describes the challenges of this environment (no grocery store, no kitchen, and no gravity). But, she makes clear, there will be many different kinds of food to choose from, including favorites from the astronauts’ home countries. Taylor explains how to prepare the food and cope with the difficulties of eating. The process can be slow, and food may not seem as tasty, so readers might want hot sauce. Surprise treats may arrive on rockets sent from Earth. Astronauts can even grow some vegetables (saving some for research, of course). Water is carefully rationed and recycled over and over. Proper disposal of trash is vital. Digital artwork—as well as a final page with photographs of actual astronauts—shows diverse people preparing, eating, and cleaning up after their meals. These entertaining illustrations, both vignettes and full-page spreads, accompany short paragraphs. Although the text is presented as a list of instructions, the inviting, conversational tone will engage young readers, and the variety of foods on the menu today—from kimchi to curried pumpkin soup—may surprise them. More information, for more able readers, appears in the extensive backmatter.
An appetizing guide to space-station dining. (resources, selected sources) (Informational picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2023
ISBN: 9780316367745
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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