A good addition to the cat canon.
The cat-centered companion to Why Do Dogs Sniff Bottoms? (2020).
Cats have been living with humans for at least 3,500 years according to Crumpton, “cat expert” and zoologist. Crumpton posits that cats were not tamed by humans but rather “domesticated themselves” to be near humans (who often have yummy meals). Each of the 19 double-page spreads deals with a different aspect of cat life or lore, and each begins with a question. In answer to “Why do cats meow?” Crumpton explains that the sound can mean several different things. However, across the spread, readers learn that: Cats make 100 different sounds; only kittens meow at other cats while adult cats meow only to humans; Siamese are the chattiest; and Maine coon cats chitter at birds. Are cats good or bad luck? Were cats ever worshipped? On several points, they are compared to dogs (cats see red and green, unlike canines; dogs have more scent receptors, but cats can differentiate more smells). With appealingly naïve styling, Snowden-Fine’s double-page spreads offer gentle humor as cats of vastly different species, colors, and sizes interpret the text. Humans depicted are racially diverse. The tone overall is light, but the information is sound, bolstered by a closing glossary of cat vocabulary. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.9-by-18.2-inch double-page spreads viewed at 42.9% of actual size.)
A good addition to the cat canon. (index) (Informational picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-500-65238-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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