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EAT YOUR SUPERPOWERS!

HOW COLORFUL FOODS KEEP YOU HEALTHY AND STRONG

Nutrition for the nursery and early elementary school set.

Colorful foods are good for us!

Using a wide variety of foods engagingly organized by color, this title introduces healthy eating, showing 25 fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains that can keep us “strong, healthy, smart, and full of energy.” The clean design will make this easy to share even with preschool readers and listeners. Each spread introduces a single food set against a plain white background. The name, in bold capital letters in the appropriate color, introduces a short sentence explaining what the food does for our bodies. “KIWIS help your brain think quickly and clearly.” The name of the important nutrient is listed below in much smaller letters, in this case vitamin C. Each food is illustrated with a photograph enhanced with Bloch’s personifying additions. Dancing Brussels sprouts, bespectacled grapes, and an eggplant wearing a surgical mask are just a few of the amusing illustrations. The urinating blueberry will especially delight the intended audience. For picky or allergic eaters, the author even suggests food alternatives that can serve the same healthy purposes; both figs and broccoli, for example, help keep your bones strong. A chart labels a child’s body with the foods that nourish each part or process. Buzzeo’s long experience in writing for young readers shows. This is simple, entertaining, and effective. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nutrition for the nursery and early elementary school set. (Informational picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: April 4, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-52295-0

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023

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HELLO WINTER!

A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.

Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.

Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.

A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Holiday House

Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018

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SNACK, SNOOZE, SKEDADDLE

HOW ANIMALS GET READY FOR WINTER

A good choice for a late fall storytime.

Animal behaviors change as they prepare to face the winter.

Migrate, hibernate, or tolerate. With smooth rhymes and jaunty illustrations, Salas and Gévry introduce three strategies animals use for coping with winter cold. The author’s long experience in imparting information to young readers is evident in her selection of familiar animals and in her presentation. Spread by spread she introduces her examples, preparing in fall and surviving in winter. She describes two types of migration: Hummingbirds and monarchs fly, and blue whales travel to the warmth of the south; earthworms burrow deeper into the earth. Without using technical words, she introduces four forms of hibernation—chipmunks nap and snack; bears mainly sleep; Northern wood frogs become an “icy pop,” frozen until spring; and normally solitary garter snakes snuggle together in huge masses. Those who can tolerate the winter still change behavior. Mice store food and travel in tunnels under the snow; moose grow a warmer kind of fur; the red fox dives into the snow to catch small mammals (like those mice); and humans put on warm clothes and play. The animals in the soft pastel illustrations are recognizable, more cuddly than realistic, and quite appealing; their habitats are stylized. The humans represent varied ethnicities. Each page includes two levels of text, and there’s further information in the extensive backmatter. Pair with Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen’s Winter Bees (2014).

A good choice for a late fall storytime. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5415-2900-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

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