A stirring invitation to join the great enterprise.
A message to the groundbreaking scientists of the future, with connections to those of the past and present.
“So,” Messner writes, “where are the next great scientists now?” Perhaps they are “building stuff” in their yards or garages—like Isaac Newton, who made kites when he was a boy, or Lonnie Johnson, who as a youngster built a go-kart engine from scrap. Johnson grew up to design spacecraft for NASA (and invent the Super Soaker); as for Newton, he only became one of the greatest scientists ever. Likewise, as a child in Lebanon, Ayah Bdeir enjoyed taking radios apart and later became a maker of electronic educational toys; as a refugee from El Salvador, Carolina Peñalva-Arana came to the U.S. to become a molecular ecologist. The inspirational tenor will assure young people that they, too, can follow suit, while the variety of subjects—many not typically covered in children’s nonfiction—sets this one apart from similar fare. In a gallery of over 40 people who are diverse in terms of race and cultural background, Kuo depicts this array of scientific luminaries first as children and then as adults, differing in dress and setting but all looking intently focused on what they’re doing or studying. As Messner concludes in a soaring finish, all are also hoping that today’s young “makers” will “be up to the job of creating a better world.” She leaves it to readers to answer her opening question.
A stirring invitation to join the great enterprise. (source list, further reading) (Collective biography. 6-10)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781452176963
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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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