An inviting glimpse into an unfamiliar world.
A pod of narwhals making its annual migration is the frame for this introduction to a most unusual sea mammal.
Anderson, who produced a BBC program on the springtime melting of Arctic ice that marked the first time narwhal migration was captured on film, draws from that experience to create this intriguing nature title. Narwhals are unique members of the whale family; males (and a few females) have a single tooth, a tusk that grows out like a 6-foot spear, hence the sobriquet the Arctic unicorn (tuskless narwhals have no teeth at all). Anderson’s story follows a pod from their deep sea winter home as they travel north to the high Arctic islands, where they will spend their summer, and back (a map in the backmatter traces the route along Canada’s Baffin Island), focusing on its leader, an older male. There’s suspense, as the open path through the ice closes up and the narwhals, which breathe air, must find another hole. Predators appear. A baby is born. Additional facts about the species appear in a smaller font on each spread. The text is set directly on striking full-bleed images, contrasting the dark depths with surprising colors in the sky and the summer light. Weaver works in charcoal, a medium particularly suited for the shadowy underwater pictures, but the blue skies and white ice of her Arctic vistas are equally appealing. An afterword touches on threats to the species from climate change. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An inviting glimpse into an unfamiliar world. (further information, index) (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2512-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet and endearing feathered migration.
A relationship between a Latina grandmother and her mixed-race granddaughter serves as the frame to depict the ruby-throated hummingbird migration pattern.
In Granny’s lap, a girl is encouraged to “keep still” as the intergenerational pair awaits the ruby-throated hummingbirds with bowls of water in their hands. But like the granddaughter, the tz’unun—“the word for hummingbird in several [Latin American] languages”—must soon fly north. Over the next several double-page spreads, readers follow the ruby-throated hummingbird’s migration pattern from Central America and Mexico through the United States all the way to Canada. Davies metaphorically reunites the granddaughter and grandmother when “a visitor from Granny’s garden” crosses paths with the girl in New York City. Ray provides delicately hashed lines in the illustrations that bring the hummingbirds’ erratic flight pattern to life as they travel north. The watercolor palette is injected with vibrancy by the addition of gold ink, mirroring the hummingbirds’ flashing feathers in the slants of light. The story is supplemented by notes on different pages with facts about the birds such as their nest size, diet, and flight schedule. In addition, a note about ruby-throated hummingbirds supplies readers with detailed information on how ornithologists study and keep track of these birds.
A sweet and endearing feathered migration. (bibliography, index) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0538-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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