With its elegant layout, gorgeous illustrations, and thoughtful text, this book presents an interesting and focused subject...
A larger-than-usual–format picture book reveals a different side to creatures commonly considered dangerous, scary, or creepy.
There are always two sides to a story, and creatures that are often feared or reviled, such as sharks or spiders, have qualities that may not be known to readers—qualities that are cleverly revealed in this thoughtfully designed, beautifully illustrated picture book. The first verso of each four-page sequence features a striking black-and-white illustration of an animal (or insect or arachnid). This is paired on the first recto with a one-word description in a clean sans-serif typeface—for example, the word paired with the spider is “Creepy….” The page turn reveals another word on verso in the same sans-serif typeface that modifies the original description—the spider’s is “crafter”—to highlight another aspect of the creature; below this there is more explanation: Spiders have “many superhero-like qualities” and “spin intricate webs” that are “stronger than steel” for their weight. Smith’s accompanying artwork—now subtly colored, with a cozier, slightly stylized look, and placed on the recto—illustrates the newly revealed characteristic. Gardner’s text doesn’t overwhelm with too much information, just a few well-chosen facts to tempt readers into thoughtful reconsiderations of hyenas, lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, sharks, gorillas, wolves, porcupines, honeybees, octopuses, spiders, and bats.
With its elegant layout, gorgeous illustrations, and thoughtful text, this book presents an interesting and focused subject in an exemplary manner. (further reading) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-274161-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be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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