bookshelf

SCIENCE FAIR DAY

Name: SCIENCE FAIR DAY
Author: Lynn Plourde
ISBN: 978-0-525-47878-2

by Lynn Plourde & illustrated by Thor Wickstrom ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 2008

bookshelf

The latest in the series of picture books occurring in Mrs. Shepherd’s class focuses on the ubiquitous science fair. Main character Ima Kindanozee (say it out loud) is aptly named. She is so curious about her classmates’ science-fair projects that she checks out each one, overwhelming the creator with many questions. Unfortunately, in her enthusiastic quest for knowledge, Ima usually ends up destroying the work. Mrs. Shepherd remains relatively calm, stalling the principal’s attempts to enter the room and judge the now messy scene. She helps each student repair Ima’s damage just as Ima innocently ruins another project. Finally, principal Helm will be distracted no longer and enters the classroom. Everything has been repaired and Ima takes the Principal around, asking questions of each student that show off their knowledge. Duly impressed, Mrs. Helm leaves. Mrs. Shepherd states that Ima may not have her own science project but she certainly has “a nose for news,” with the last illustration showing the newspaper Ima has produced. Wickstrom’s cartoon-like illustrations set the tone for the silliness, and the subject of the book is sure to be a winner with teachers and children alike. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-525-47878-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2007

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
HOW TO TALK MONSTER
by Lynn Plourde ; illustrated by Mike Lowery

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BOY WHOSE FACE FROZE LIKE THAT
by Lynn Plourde ; illustrated by Russ Cox

- BOOK REVIEW
GO, GRANDPA, GO!
by Lynn Plourde ; illustrated by Sophie Beer

bookshelf

BERRY MAGIC

by Teri Sloat & Betty Huffman & illustrated by Teri Sloat ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2004

bookshelf

Sloat collaborates with Huffman, a Yu’pik storyteller, to infuse a traditional “origins” tale with the joy of creating. Hearing the old women of her village grumble that they have only tasteless crowberries for the fall feast’s akutaq—described as “Eskimo ice cream,” though the recipe at the end includes mixing in shredded fish and lard—young Anana carefully fashions three dolls, then sings and dances them to life. Away they bound, to cover the hills with cranberries, blueberries, and salmonberries. Sloat dresses her smiling figures in mixes of furs and brightly patterned garb, and sends them tumbling exuberantly through grassy tundra scenes as wildlife large and small gathers to look on. Despite obtrusively inserted pronunciations for Yu’pik words in the text, young readers will be captivated by the action, and by Anana’s infectious delight. (Picture book/folktale. 6-8)

Pub Date: June 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-88240-575-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2004

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
ZIP! ZOOM! ON A BROOM
by Teri Sloat ; illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet

- BOOK REVIEW
PABLO IN THE SNOW
by Teri Sloat ; illustrated by Rosalinde Bonnet

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE WAS AN OLD MAN WHO PAINTED THE SKY
by Teri Sloat and illustrated by Stefano Vitale

bookshelf

BUTT OR FACE?

by Kari Lavelle ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 11, 2023

A gleeful game for budding naturalists.

bookshelf

Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.

In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)