Accurate natural history simply and charismatically presented.
A ruby-throated hummingbird chronicles its first full year of life.
This latest addition to the series of first-person nature diaries that began with My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis (2017) introduces the ruby-throated hummingbird, familiar to residents of the East Coast and Midwest, where they summer, and of Mexico and Central America, where they winter. The front endpapers map the ruby-throated species’ range, show some western hummingbirds, and present some facts including the nest-building process. This slightly advanced scientific text sets the stage for Ruby T.’s personal story. Dates head entries of one or two sentences, simple enough for fledgling readers. Meisel’s illustrations augment the storytelling. The title page includes a picture of Ruby T.’s mother on her nest; a page turn reveals just the tip of a beak poking out of a cracked egg. But soon, Ruby T. is flying “really fast!” Spread by spread the pacing reflects the bird’s experience, including speedy growth and challenging migrations. Short words relating to the bird’s actions sit directly on these paintings (“CHASE”; “ZOOM”). Ruby T. often enjoys a hummingbird feeder—probably the way most readers will encounter this species. There are quarrels, communal feeding, and preparations for the big trip. Ruby T. winters in a different environment. When spring comes, his newly red throat reveals that he’s male. The story winds up neatly when he meets a potential mate after his return.
Accurate natural history simply and charismatically presented. (sources, recommended reading, further information) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4322-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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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