Another rich resource for young eco-warriors.
Practical actions for reducing waste for young readers concerned about the environment.
Science writer Thomas offers 50 doable suggestions for readers keen to reduce their “eco-impact.” The book was originally published in the U.K. in 2018 as This Book Is Not Rubbish, and language, examples, and statistics have been changed for a U.S. readership in most cases. But the title change is misleading. Only a portion of this book is about garbage in the usual sense of kitchen waste; the writer defines waste broadly. Her “eco-tips” include using less water, especially hot water; changing gift and party habits; avoiding glitter and plastic straws; composting and reducing food waste; picking up litter; trading clothing and goods; reducing energy use in myriad ways; repairing and reusing what we have; and avoiding unnecessary use of paper—even greeting cards and school assignments! Even more broadly, she suggests helping the nearby environment, thinking about the environmental costs of food and clothing, and reducing video gaming (evidently an energy hog). One chapter introduces five young eco-warriors; another suggests projects for aspiring citizen scientists. Art projects and even geocaching are other ways to get closer to nature and to show appreciation. Though there is some overlap, most suggestions are different from or complementary to those in companion title This Book Will (Help) Cool the Climate, published in 2020 in the U.K. but simultaneously with this title in this country. Both are useful.
Another rich resource for young eco-warriors. (index) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-30867-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hot on the heels of the well-received Leonardo da Vinci (2005) comes another agreeably chatty entry in the Giants of Science series. Here the pioneering physicist is revealed as undeniably brilliant, but also cantankerous, mean-spirited, paranoid and possibly depressive. Newton’s youth and annus mirabilis receive respectful treatment, the solitude enforced by family estrangement and then the plague seen as critical to the development of his thoughtful, methodical approach. His subsequent squabbles with the rest of the scientific community—he refrained from publishing one treatise until his rival was dead—further support the image of Newton as a scientific lone wolf. Krull’s colloquial treatment sketches Newton’s advances in clearly understandable terms without bogging the text down with detailed explanations. A final chapter on “His Impact” places him squarely in the pantheon of great thinkers, arguing that both his insistence on the scientific method and his theories of physics have informed all subsequent scientific thought. A bibliography, web site and index round out the volume; the lack of detail on the use of sources is regrettable in an otherwise solid offering for middle-grade students. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-05921-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
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