Young readers who take the dive will emerge with glowing reports.
Big, ghostly stock photos enhanced with glow-in-the-dark elements shed light on 22 sea creatures that exhibit either biofluorescence or bioluminescence.
For readers a little hazy on the difference, Regan opens by defining the two terms and then, claiming that over 90% of all marine organisms feature one or the other, presents pithy but exact introductions paired to a riveting series of ultra–close-up portraits, dimly lit and placed against solid black backgrounds. From plankton, corals, and various kinds of jellies to the bounteously toothy likes of the dragonfish and viperfish, all of these creatures present a thrillingly exotic otherness—their angular lines or drifting, graceful tentacles enhanced by added dots and swirls of phosphorescent overlay (not seen). Happily, along with describing each animal’s major features and typical habitat, the author carefully notes that most are smaller than they look here (krill, for instance, “are not much bigger than a paper clip”). She also has some news flashes for anyone who thinks that those undersea glimmers are used only to attract prey and mates…as it turns out, krill and hatchetfish employ “counter-illumination” as a defense, and some sea cucumbers can actually drive predators away by strobing like a “burglar alarm.” From the lenticular squid writhing on the front cover on, rarely have denizens of the deep looked more eerily appealing.
Young readers who take the dive will emerge with glowing reports. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-2281-0253-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020
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
A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill.
Grown-ups may not be the only audience for this simple explanation of how algorithms work.
Taking a confused-looking hipster parent firmly in hand, a child first points to all the computers around the house (“Pro Tip: When dealing with grown-ups, don’t jump into the complicated stuff too fast. Start with something they already know”). Next, the child leads the adult outside to make and follow step-by-step directions for getting to the park, deciding which playground equipment to use, and finally walking home. Along the way, concepts like conditionals and variables come into play in street maps and diagrams, and a literal bug stands in for the sort that programmers will inevitably need to find and solve. The lesson culminates in an actual sample of very simple code with labels that unpack each instruction…plus a pop quiz to lay out a decision tree for crossing the street, because if “your grown-up can explain it, that shows they understand it!” That goes for kids, too—and though Spiro doesn’t take the logical next step and furnish leads to actual manuals, young (and not so young) fledgling coders will find plenty of good ones around, such as Get Coding! (2017), published by Candlewick, or Rachel Ziter’s Coding From Scratch (2018).
A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781623543181
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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