A great interactive introduction to trees that will help children appreciate their many qualities and value.
Encouragement to adopt a tree, learn about trees in general, and appreciate and care for the trees in our world.
Wilsher cleverly folds in lots of learning and vocabulary while introducing children to all things arboreal. After beginning the activity book with the direction to choose a tree, the author moves from there to different things kids can do with their chosen friend: observe it, learn its parts, draw it, hug it (inviting others to join in if one person can’t reach all the way around the trunk), make bark rubbings, determine its age and height, examine its leaves, identify it, climb it, create art (scavenging from the ground, not picking live twigs or leaves), make a treehouse, play games with it, thank it, care for it, and look for seeds, fruit, and animals. The activities call on children to use different senses and skills to engage with the tree they’ve selected, and some of the options involving their tree’s fruit or seeds may require the kids’ power of observation over the course of multiple seasons. Stanev’s charming illustrations use spot, full-page, and double-page illustrations to depict steps, cycles, seasons, and many different types of trees. People depicted (mostly children) are widely diverse and include a wheelchair user and hijabis. Adult supervision and help are encouraged where appropriate.
A great interactive introduction to trees that will help children appreciate their many qualities and value. (Nonfiction activity book. 4-10)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780711280540
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Ivy Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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