Splendid.
A longtime ambassador for the animal kingdom introduces turtles from around the world.
Knowing just what will intrigue her readers, naturalist Montgomery starts off with a surprising statement: “Sometime around 240 million years ago…the shell invented the turtle.” She describes the ways shells define and protect turtles. She details turtles’ other physical characteristics and their unusual longevity. She gives examples of “extreme turtles”—biggest, smallest, flattest, fattest, and so forth, and species with unusual traits and/or skills. Readers will learn that the Chinese softshell terrapin is one of several species that “tinkle through their mouths.” Some South American turtles communicate through vocalizations. She also introduces some celebrity turtles, including the late Pinta Island tortoise Lonesome George, likely the last of his kind. An appealing section on the habits of baby sea turtles leads nicely into a description of turtle population decline and why turtles are a crucial part of ecosystems...which in turn leads to suggestions of how readers can help. Accompanying the smoothly written narrative are images of more than 30 species, often with features of their usual habitat, mostly set against a white background. Wildlife artist Patterson’s unobtrusively labeled acrylic paintings are realistic and detailed. Who can resist the tortoises enjoying a neck rub or shell scratch (from light-skinned human hands)? Smartly pairing two experts in wildlife portrayal, this one is not to be missed.
Splendid. (resources, glossary, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 5-9)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780358458074
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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