A clever presentation of some basic anatomy by a duo with talented hands indeed.
Space travelers discover the utility of hands and what’s inside them: bones, muscles, and nerves.
The Australian creative team who introduced readers to microbes in Do Not Lick This Book (2017) returns with a similarly metafictive introduction to our structural insides. Zooming through space to a friend’s birthday party, Quog and Oort accidentally crash their ship on Earth. Breaking the fourth wall, the narrator asks readers to help these aliens by turning the page to open their space ship. Quog, a green blob, is impressed by this demonstration of the utility of hands and immediately grows some but finds she also needs bones, muscles, and nerves. Readers are given plenty of opportunities to interact with the story: putting their hands on the pages so that Oort, a pink, three-eyed gas cloud, can see inside; lifting the book; and even turning a page with their eyes closed. There’s a departing high-five after the ETs successfully fix their vessel, then a grand, wordless spread shows what hands and arms are really good for: hugs. A final tongue-in-cheek spread offers instructions for growing your own extra hands. The uncluttered, flat design of the playful illustrations has the air of animation and nicely contrasts with three-dimensional views of bones, muscles and ligaments, and nerves set on a surprisingly pink background. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 87.5% of actual size.)
A clever presentation of some basic anatomy by a duo with talented hands indeed. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-17537-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Engaging, well-chosen images and a clear, coherent text illuminate the importance of empathy for the world’s inhabitants.
Large color photographs (occasionally composed of montages) and accessible, simple text highlight global similarities and differences, always focusing on our universal connections.
While child readers may not recognize Manzano, the Puerto Rican actress who played Maria on Sesame Street, adults will recognize her as a trusted diverse voice. In her endnote, she explains her desire to “encourage lively conversations about shared experiences.” Starting out with the familiar, home and community, the text begins with “How many WONDERFUL PEOPLE do you know?” Then it moves out to the world: “Did you know there are about 8 BILLION PEOPLE on the planet?” The photo essay features the usual concrete similarities and differences found in many books of this type, such as housing (a Mongolian yurt opposite a Hong Kong apartment building overlooking a basketball court), food (dumplings, pizza, cotton candy, a churro, etc.), and school. Manzano also makes sure to point out likenesses in emotions, as shown in a montage of photos from countries including China, Spain, Kashmir (Pakistan/India), and the United States. At the end, a world map and thumbnail images show the locations of all photos, revealing a preponderance of examples from the U.S. and a slight underrepresentation for Africa and South America.
Engaging, well-chosen images and a clear, coherent text illuminate the importance of empathy for the world’s inhabitants. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3738-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
Bruce Goldstone’s Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard.
Rotner follows Hello Spring (2017) with this salute to the fall season.
Name a change seen in northern climes in fall, and Rotner likely covers it here, from plants, trees, and animals to the food we harvest: seeds are spread, the days grow shorter and cooler, the leaves change and fall (and are raked up and jumped in), some animals migrate, and many families celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. As in the previous book, the photographs (presented in a variety of sizes and layouts, all clean) are the stars here, displaying both the myriad changes of the season and a multicultural array of children enjoying the outdoors in fall. These are set against white backgrounds that make the reddish-orange print pop. The text itself uses short sentences and some solid vocabulary (though “deep sleep” is used instead of “hibernate”) to teach readers the markers of autumn, though in the quest for simplicity, Rotner sacrifices some truth. In several cases, the addition of just a few words would have made the following oversimplified statements reflect reality: “Birds grow more feathers”; “Cranberries float and turn red.” Also, Rotner includes the statement “Bees store extra honey in their hives” on a page about animals going into deep sleep, implying that honeybees hibernate, which is false.
Bruce Goldstone’s Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3869-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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