No fly in this ointment.
Facts about insects—including the distinction between the many insects people casually call “bugs” and the characteristics of “true bugs”—are accompanied by colorful illustrations and charts.
This author-illustrator team was behind the excellent Trees (2019), and this one continues the tradition. The artwork has a joyfulness that will entice even those who are squeamish about these crawling and flying critters. The text offers simple, but not oversimplified, explanations of such concepts as both complete and incomplete metamorphosis, the different ways in which insects create homes, and the varied locomotion methods of water bugs. The explanation of galls in trees—a fascinating cooperation between flora and fauna—is particularly noteworthy for its clarity and brevity. Each page has a large, appealing heading introducing topics, including double-page spreads for “Bugs in Spring” and each of the other seasons. Several interspersed columns headed “Strange Bugs” give additional facts about unique insects. For example, silverfish have no metamorphosis; they hatch from eggs as tiny replicas of the adults they will become. The section entitled “Beginner Bug-Watching” gives tips on how to identify different kinds of bugs and provides an illustrated list of the best child-friendly tools to store in “a bug-watcher’s backpack.” A page called “Endangered Bugs” discusses environmental concerns, the value of insects, and ways to ensure their preservation. Callout symbols shaped like ladybugs add more fun to this valuable reference source.
No fly in this ointment. (contents, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77138-820-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
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
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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