by Jon Scieszka ; illustrated by Steven Weinberg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 21, 2021
Perfectly fun.
On their third mission, the AstroNuts visit the Perfect Planet—Earth!
Following their failed missions to the Plant Planet and the Water Planet, the lovably goofy band of AstroNuts is sent back in time to prehistoric Earth in hopes of stopping humankind from discovering fire and thus preventing climate change. Zooming off from their top-secret AstroNut headquarters on Mount Rushmore, the animal foursome rocket into a wormhole in their Abe Lincoln Beard Vehicle. When they arrive, the AstroNuts befriend the purple-skinned, fur-clad Sapiens family: Grunk, Lucy, and Baby Urp, who live in a cold, dark home, literally between a rock and a hard place. They soon discover that humans are not the dominant species: Wolves are! A Survival of the Fittest Olympics pits the nefariously cunning wolves against the Sapiens family. Can the AstroNuts help the humans beat the wolves without introducing them to fire? Scieszka’s third installment doesn’t miss a beat, with its consistent blend of interesting science facts, enthralling collage art, and, of course, a good poop joke or two. Weinberg’s illustrations are dazzling, juxtaposing classic works of art with bold color splashes and zany, brightly colored characters. This series has been dependably edifying and entertaining, and this latest volume works fine as a stand-alone, although the recap should entice new readers to visit previous installments.
Perfectly fun. (Graphic science fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7121-0
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Share your opinion of this book
More by Jon Scieszka
BOOK REVIEW
by Jon Scieszka ; illustrated by Julia Rothman
BOOK REVIEW
by Jon Scieszka ; illustrated by Steven Weinberg
BOOK REVIEW
by Jon Scieszka ; illustrated by Steven Weinberg
by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2023
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
Share your opinion of this book
More by Aaron Reynolds
BOOK REVIEW
by Aaron Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter Brown
BOOK REVIEW
by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown
BOOK REVIEW
by Peter Brown ; illustrated by Peter Brown
by E.B. White illustrated by Garth Williams ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 1952
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
Share your opinion of this book
More by E.B. White
BOOK REVIEW
by E.B. White & illustrated by Maggie Kneen
BOOK REVIEW
by E.B. White illustrated by Fred Marcellino
BOOK REVIEW
by E.B. White illustrated by Garth Williams
More About This Book
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.