A valuable look at the roles farmers play in sustaining the lifestyles people enjoy.
From produce and bread to clothing and sweets, the favorite items that farmers bring to tables and homes.
Spot art of diverse families eating table-ready foods are combined with large-scale scenes of farms with people, machinery, and animals producing foods like wheat to make bread, milk for cereal, and fruits and vegetables—an effective juxtaposition of the consumers and producers of ingredients and products people use daily. Peanut butter, rice, wool sweaters and socks, and maple syrup are all items for which readers are encouraged to “thank a farmer.” Farmers, in turn, are thankful for the natural forces and creatures that make their farms work, from soil and sun to bees and trees. The text alternates between a simple sentence indicating an item to thank a farmer for (“berries and / cherries in your bowl”) and a lyrical description of the work that goes into that particular item (“Pinch. / Pluck. / Pull. / Fill the punnet”). Mikai’s warm, textured art is at its strongest here, complementing the more leisurely text with fully detailed scenes that give a strong sense of the realities of labor and the interconnectedness of people at different points in the food production chain. A full spread of backmatter offers more information about the farming methods featured in the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A valuable look at the roles farmers play in sustaining the lifestyles people enjoy. (further reading, further viewing, websites) (Informational picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781324015796
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude.
A deceptively simple, visually appealing, comprehensive explanation of volcanoes.
Gibbons packs an impressive number of facts into this browsable nonfiction picture book. The text begins with the awe of a volcanic eruption: “The ground begins to rumble…ash, hot lava and rock, and gases shoot up into the air.” Diagrams of the Earth’s structural layers—inner and outer core, mantle, and crust—undergird a discussion about why volcanoes occur. Simple maps of the Earth’s seven major tectonic plates show where volcanoes are likeliest to develop. Other spreads with bright, clearly labeled illustrations cover intriguing subtopics: four types of volcanoes and how they erupt; underwater volcanoes; well-known volcanoes and historic volcanic eruptions around the world; how to be safe in the vicinity of a volcano; and the work of scientists studying volcanoes and helping to predict eruptions. A page of eight facts about volcanoes wraps things up. The straightforward, concise prose will be easy for young readers to follow. As always, Gibbons manages to present a great deal of information in a compact form.
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4569-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.
Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.
Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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