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POLAR

Name: POLAR
Author: L.E. Carmichael
ISBN: 9781525304576

WILDLIFE AT THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

by L.E. Carmichael ; illustrated by Byron Eggenschwiler ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

First-rate from top to bottom.

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Profiles of creatures living on opposite ends of our planet invite readers in more comfortable climes to compare and contrast.

The Arctic “is an ocean surrounded by land,” Carmichael writes, whereas “Antarctica is a land surrounded by ocean,” and though both are cold (if, as she ominously notes, getting warmer five times faster than anywhere else on Earth) and require similar adaptations to live there, each has distinctive and different wildlife. Flanked by tone-setting wordless spreads of forbidding snowscapes and matched to accurately detailed portraits of animals in natural settings, the book highlights differences and similarities between the two biota with looks at 13 exemplary pairs, arranged by month from one March to the next. These range from belugas in the north and male sperm whales in the south to woolly bear caterpillars (north) and flightless midges that are the Antarctic’s largest indigenous land animals, from ground squirrels and black rock cod—both the only true hibernators in their respective habitats—to baby lemmings and adult emperor penguins similarly huddling to conserve warmth. A comment on pollution at the poles and suggestions for young climate activists round off this unusually perceptive and informative visit to our (increasingly less) frozen zones. There are no human figures in view.

First-rate from top to bottom. (glossary, further reading, selected sources, index) (Nonfiction. 7-10)

Pub Date: May 2, 2023

ISBN: 9781525304576

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BOREAL FOREST
by L.E. Carmichael ; illustrated by Josée Bisaillon

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1001 BEES

by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2021

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 BIRDS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 ANTS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

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I AM GRAVITY

by Henry Herz ; illustrated by Mercè López ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2024

An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.

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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)