by Dr. Gail Saltz & illustrated by Lynne Avril Cravath ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2007
In the note to parents that precedes this chatty offering, Saltz says, “By [ages seven to ten, children] know that the sperm is in Daddy and the egg is in Mommy, so naturally they are wondering, ‘How does one get to the other?’ ” The answer is here, in nicely anatomically cross-sectioned detail, along with an introduction to the changes that come with puberty leading up to the egg-and-sperm moment, and a brief discussion of the pregnancy that may well follow. In both its address to parents and children, the text is appropriately reassuring and matter-of-fact (much care is taken to use medical vocabulary for genitalia), although much is missing. There is no discussion of birth control or STDs, and it assumes a values system in which sexual intercourse and having babies are linked, without marriage as a prerequisite. Cravath’s cartoon illustrations are accurate and amusing, and take some care to depict a multiethnic cast. In comprehensiveness, frankness and warmth, however, the whole cannot hold a candle to the Robie H. Harris/Michael Emberley trio of sex-ed books and must therefore be considered an additional purchase. (Nonfiction. 6-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-525-47817-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2007
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BOOK REVIEW
by Dr. Gail Saltz & illustrated by Lynne Cravath
by Christina Li ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 12, 2021
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
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BOOK REVIEW
by Christina Li
by Seymour Simon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1993
Remarking that ``nothing about the weather is very simple,'' Simon goes on to describe how the sun, atmosphere, earth's rotation, ground cover, altitude, pollution, and other factors influence it; briefly, he also tells how weather balloons gather information. Even for this outstanding author, it's a tough, complex topic, and he's not entirely successful in simplifying it; moreover, the import of the striking uncaptioned color photos here isn't always clear. One passage—``Cumulus clouds sometimes build up into towering masses called cumulus congestus, or swelling cumulus, which may turn into cumulonimbus clouds''—is superimposed on a blue-gray, cloud-covered landscape. But which kind of clouds are these? Another photo, in blue-black and white, shows what might be precipitation in the upper atmosphere, or rain falling on a darkened landscape, or...? Generally competent and certainly attractive, but not Simon's best. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-10546-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
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