An engaging hero’s journey but one that’s light on meaningful details and context.
The true story of two dogs who were part of a mission to bring lifesaving serum to a remote Alaskan town.
In January 1925, the town of Nome, Alaska, was hit by diphtheria, a deadly disease. The nearest source of serum was 674 miles away and only accessible by dog sled. Thanks to hardworking dog teams, a trip that would normally take 25 days only took six. Togo, the 12-year-old Siberian husky and pack leader who ran the longest leg of the journey, tells his story as well as that of 6-year-old sled dog Balto, who famously led the final sled team into Nome. In providing a brief history of sled dogs, Parachini notes that they were originally used to draw sleds that transported mail and travelers and that conveyed miners to Alaska’s gold fields. She also mentions that “for many years Alaska Natives such as the Athabascans, Inuit, and Yuit used dogs as pack animals to carry heavy loads,” but aside from this, Indigenous people are erased from the narrative. The digitally rendered illustrations depict a predominantly White community and center Togo’s owner, Leonhard Seppala, a White Norwegian immigrant. Brief backmatter includes dog sled commands and a note detailing the qualities that make huskies good sled dogs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An engaging hero’s journey but one that’s light on meaningful details and context. (Informational picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: April 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8075-0382-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
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
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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