A clear, respectful introduction.
A dad and two kids walk their English setter and explore what distinguishes mammals from all the other animals they see.
Beginning by establishing that animals “can eat, breathe, move, and grow” but that not all animals are mammals, the book introduces several members of the animal kingdom in reverse order of their proximity to mammals on the taxonomic tree. An earthworm, for instance, is an animal, but it “is soft inside and out,” whereas mammals have “some body parts that are hard.” Similarly, ladybugs have hard body parts, but they’re only on the outside, unlike mammals’, which are “mostly on the inside.” Thus largely eschewing scientific vocabulary in favor of clear explanations (the terms “vertebrates” and “invertebrates” are introduced in a diagram in the backmatter), Rockwell’s text focuses on the concepts. The fine-lined ink-and-watercolor illustrations are as clear and straightforward as the text, with the carefully labeled renderings of the animals examined particularly meticulous. Occasional, supplementary text in a smaller type provides further information, such as the facts that whales breathe through blowholes and “snakes usually have just one long lung.” The family is an interracial one, with a white dad and brown-skinned mom who is seen nursing a baby in the final spread, underscoring humanity’s kinship with our fellow mammals.
A clear, respectful introduction. (further facts, references) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3670-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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