A captivating addition to the paleontology shelf.
Discover a time capsule of preserved ancient animals hidden within L.A.’s La Brea Tar Pits.
Dinosaurs are always a fan favorite, and a veritable plethora of relevant books exist to tempt youngsters, but what about the Pleistocene, with its fascinatingly strange ground sloths or dire wolves? Stremer illuminates this prehistoric period by sharing a secret: In a bustling Southern California neighborhood, under an innocuous-looking smudge of sticky tar, lie thousands of fossilized animal, insect, and plant remains. Jumping backward in time, the narrative follows an endearing mammoth who mistakes the tar for a watering hole and becomes trapped. Its struggle is tense and dramatic; young readers will feel for the animal as it trumpets for help, eyes wide with fear. Abruptly, the language becomes more clinical. Pitched to a young audience, the text clearly conveys facts about fossilization, covers the arrival of Native Americans and then European settlers, and explains why the site is so scientifically significant. Stremer never explicitly acknowledges, however, that the skull the scientists are excavating once belonged to the frightened mammoth, a potentially confusing omission. Strong backmatter provides more information on the tar pits; readers will appreciate the useful key of all the creatures depicted. Clean, earth-toned digital cartoon illustrations portray both extinct and current animals in easy-to-interpret tableaux. Human characters are diverse.
A captivating addition to the paleontology shelf. (selected sources) (Informational picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781665953177
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
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
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
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