A well-researched, visually impressive informational treat.
Fascinating photos and interesting illustrations take center stage in this fun, fact-filled book.
A colorful, appealingly organized, and straightforward table of contents describes the six high-interest subjects the book covers—the body, machines and buildings, wild animals, bugs, Earth, and space—immediately signaling to readers that they can enjoy the information within in myriad ways. Longer segments that answer questions like “How do touchscreens work?” and “How do we know what extinct creatures looked like?” allow learners to gain a more in-depth understanding of a range of subjects. Many pages include a text bubble that presents a “wacky fact,” a fascinating tidbit designed to engage and impress—for example, that scientists once found a suit of armor in a shark’s stomach—which is a clever way to help readers retain information. For those with shorter attention spans, “Tell me how…NOW!” spreads provide quick answers to burning questions, such as “How many times do people pass gas in a day?” The informal language and kid-friendly phrasing make the facts feel like thrilling wisdom passed between friends on the playground, and the numerous references to poop will delight many readers. Stunning photographs interspersed among the charming illustrations and clear scientific diagrams add greatly to the overall appeal. The photos and artwork portray a racially diverse array of people.
A well-researched, visually impressive informational treat. (glossary, index, source notes, picture credits) (Nonfiction. 5-10)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781804661192
Page Count: 256
Publisher: What on Earth Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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