A masterful blend of biography, science, and philosophy that makes profound ideas feel wonderfully attainable.
Sibert Medalist Day transforms Charles Darwin’s daily walking routine into an enchanting blueprint for creative thinking.
The book opens with a delightfully unconventional instruction manual: “First you need a rock.” What follows is an intimate portrait of Darwin’s “Sandwalk”—the path he traversed as he pondered deep thoughts. Stacking rocks before he began, he knocked one down with each completed loop; simple conflicts were “one-rock problems,” while tougher ones were “two-rocks, three-rocks, even four-rocks.” Day’s conversational prose weaves seamlessly among Darwin’s voyage on the Beagle, his groundbreaking observations of finches and giant sloths, and his methodical approach to wrestling with the radical concept of natural selection. Never condescending, the text instead invites readers to see themselves as fellow thinkers capable of their own discoveries. Hooper’s mixed-media illustrations are nothing short of spectacular, combining vintage engravings, photographs of actual rocks and specimens, painted landscapes, and printmaking techniques, all resulting in richly textured pages. Real scientific illustrations of Darwin’s finches appear alongside a whimsical globe, while the recurring motif of blue walking paths, both literal and figurative, connects all elements. The book succeeds on multiple levels: as an accessible introduction to evolution, a meditation on the creative process, and gentle encouragement for readers to embrace their own thinking paths. Substantive author’s notes provide historical context without overwhelming younger children.
A masterful blend of biography, science, and philosophy that makes profound ideas feel wonderfully attainable. (bibliography) (Informational picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9780823458509
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book.
Ada Twist’s incessant stream of questions leads to answers that help solve a neighborhood crisis.
Ada conducts experiments at home to answer questions such as, why does Mom’s coffee smell stronger than Dad’s coffee? Each answer leads to another question, another hypothesis, and another experiment, which is how she goes from collecting data on backyard birds for a citizen-science project to helping Rosie Revere figure out how to get her uncle Ned down from the sky, where his helium-filled “perilous pants” are keeping him afloat. The Questioneers—Rosie the engineer, Iggy Peck the architect, and Ada the scientist—work together, asking questions like scientists. Armed with knowledge (of molecules and air pressure, force and temperature) but more importantly, with curiosity, Ada works out a solution. Ada is a recognizable, three-dimensional girl in this delightfully silly chapter book: tirelessly curious and determined yet easily excited and still learning to express herself. If science concepts aren’t completely clear in this romp, relationships and emotions certainly are. In playful full- and half-page illustrations that break up the text, Ada is black with Afro-textured hair; Rosie and Iggy are white. A closing section on citizen science may inspire readers to get involved in science too; on the other hand, the “Ode to a Gas!” may just puzzle them. Other backmatter topics include the importance of bird study and the threat palm-oil use poses to rainforests.
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3422-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...
An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.
Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
