The optics are optimal in this primer on a basic scientific phenomenon.
An introduction to an essential aspect of our universe.
As the accompanying illustration depicts a dark but starry sky, Wade emphasizes the omnipresence of light and considers its sources, uses, and forms, as well as ways humans harness it for their own needs. A glance at shadows naturally follows, along with an invitation for readers to look at their own shadows at different times of day and to observe light reflected, scattered, and dispersed into a rainbow. After discussing colors and the electromagnetic spectrum, the author considers solar panels and then journeys back out to space, bringing the narrative full circle. Logical organization and clear, simple writing provide welcome, well-placed explanations. As in Wade’s previous book, Nano, illustrated by Melissa Castrillón (2021), this one maintains a sense of wonder at the phenomenon it is describing while conveying a great deal of accurate and appropriately detailed information. Sanfelippo’s bright line and soft color illustrations use fanciful forms and varied perspectives to convey complex ideas. Though cartoonish, they deploy romantic motifs like curves, florals, and atmospheric elements. On almost every page, a round-headed, light-skinned child with skin the white of the page experiences the various aspects of light. A scruffy pooch adds humor on most spreads, while a marmalade cat also pops up here and there. Science is artistic and enthralling here.
The optics are optimal in this primer on a basic scientific phenomenon. (extra information on light) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781536243635
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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