A launch pad for learning more about monarchs.
A close-up look at the 3,000-mile fall monarch butterfly migration to overwintering grounds in Mexico.
An opening spread shows a difficult-to-recognize distended North American continent, several orangish-white lines extending from the north and converging in Mexico. The text notes that it takes monarchs traveling north in the spring four generations to reach their destinations, but monarchs that hatch in the fall make the trip to Mexico in one go. From this opening, swirling, twirling orange-and-black butterflies fill the pages of this informative yet lyrical book. Challenging vocabulary will stretch readers’ own wings: kaleidoscope, nectar, roost. Pryor doesn’t shy away from the fact that not all will survive: Lack of resting spots and adequate food as well as storms are issues. The backmatter delineates other threats, things readers can do to help monarchs, the life cycle and anatomy of a monarch, information about milkweed, info about monarch migration and a map, and an author’s note. Here the text also notes that “insects change form as they grow in a process called metamorphosis,” which is true for only about 80% of species. While the picture-book format may be young for the audience that matches the text’s language, it’s a good springboard for further research into monarch migration for older students and a good stretch for younger ones. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A launch pad for learning more about monarchs. (Informational picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023
ISBN: 9781546003137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
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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