Bug lovers will have plenty to buzz about after reading this picture book.
Join spunky Bella as she explores her neighborhood in search of different bugs.
Bella prepares for her bug hunt by gathering the requisite tools before heading outside. She soon encounters her pal Billy, and together they marvel at a line of industrious ants. Ant facts are shared via annotated diagrams. The two kids move on to investigations of bees, bugs that jump, flying insects, and those found in a pond. Bella demonstrates an activity called “pond dipping,” which allows a young entomologist to closely examine pond-dwelling creatures by using a white tray and a small net. The story moves briskly into metamorphosis, catching bugs in a tumble trap, and more. Bella never harms the bugs, and she returns them to their habitats. At the end of the day, Bella finds herself back at home and ready for bed after a full day of arthropod appreciation. The pages are crammed with text in varying font sizes, covering a broad range of insect-related topics. Young readers can enjoy searching for Nancy, the house spider who makes an appearance on each double-page spread. The full-color digital illustrations are bright and keep pace with the information-driven plot. Bella and her caregiver are White; Billy has dark brown skin; and Pedro, another of Bella’s friends, has light brown skin and wears hearing aids. Insect conservation tips comprise the backmatter. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Bug lovers will have plenty to buzz about after reading this picture book. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 19, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7112-6562-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Happy Yak
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
