An advocacy-focused journey through centuries of solar development.
Newbery Medalist Keller traces humanity’s evolving relationship with solar energy across cultures and centuries.
From ancient passive solar homes to contemporary biodegradable solar panels, this informational picture book considers the development of solar technology through the efforts of individual innovators and global collaborations alike. Keller’s strength lies in demonstrating how ideas grow across people, places, and generations, from Augustin Mouchot’s 19th-century solar steam engine to Shi Zhengrong’s modern Chinese solar company. The lyrical text includes compelling scientific details that will intrigue young readers, such as selenium being found in sunflower seeds or how Japanese engineers put tiny solar panels in everyday objects “so anyone / can hold the sun.” But the narrative occasionally presents complex energy issues in stark black-and-white terms, particularly when contrasting solar innovators with personified fossil fuel companies: “Like false prophets / of profit, / oil companies prey / on human weakness / and pay politicians to keep digging. / They bury truth deep / and bury us deeper.” Environmental activists will praise the messaging, while those seeking a more nuanced exploration of this complex topic may be disappointed by the us vs. them framing. Wada’s illustrations employ strategic use of light and shadow—golden rays emanate from innovators, while darker, angular compositions frame industrial scenes. The art effectively uses sun imagery as both literal illumination and metaphorical enlightenment, and the text and images are well balanced across spreads, preventing visual chaos.
An advocacy-focused journey through centuries of solar development. (author’s note, timeline) (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781324031123
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
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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