A whimsically illustrated and informative guide that will turn readers into bee experts.
Chubak’s meticulously organized guide covers everything readers could want to know about the intricate world of honeybees.
The author briskly but thoroughly walks readers through the world of honeybees, beginning with their life stages, kingdom classification, and the functions of various hormone glands. All vocabulary words—such as entomologists and haploid—are in bold, and each section is short in length and includes bite-sized information nuggets: “When multiple queen sisters are raised in a hive, they can fight for sole dominance of the colony. This royal battle is announced by the queens with an audible sound called piping, tooting, or bugling. It may sound like a chirp from the outside of the hive. After the battle, only one queen will remain in the hive and be accepted by the colony.” The book is broken down into six broad categories: “The Honey Bee Colony,” “The World of the Queen Bee,” “The Amazing Worker Bee: Activity in the Brood Nest Nursery,” “Worker Bees’ Jobs Inside the Hive but Outside of the Brood Nest,” “Field Bees,” and “Drone: The Mating Specialist.” Each section then focuses on the individual bees that inhabit that category. Evans’ plentiful illustrations feature colorful foregrounds with black-and-white backgrounds for tongue-in-cheek interpretations of the different bee types, including a worker bee clocking in to a factory and a drone bee holding a college pennant in front of a frat house. The book’s last section, “Activities & Famous Bees,” puzzlingly does not include any activities, and readers may find themselves wishing for a condensed index of vocabulary words. The prose is rather clipped, which often makes understanding the book’s truly fascinating information easier. (Drone bees only have one set of chromosomes! Bees use plant resin for medicinal purposes!) The sheer amount of information the book includes is staggering, while Chubak’s straightforward tone will likely appeal to kids and adults alike.
A whimsically illustrated and informative guide that will turn readers into bee experts.Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2024
ISBN: 9781038300379
Page Count: 120
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on.
Sharpson offers so-fish-ticated readers a heads up about the true terror of the seas.
The title says it all. Our unseen narrator is just fine with other animals: mammals. Reptiles. Even birds. But fish? Don’t trust them! First off, the rules always seem to change with fish. Some live in fresh water; some reside in salt water. Some have gills, while others have lungs. You can never see what they’re up to, since they hang out underwater, and they’re always eating those poor, innocent crabs. Soon, the narrator introduces readers to Jeff, a vacant-eyed yellow fish—but don’t be fooled! Jeff’s “the craftiest fish of all.” All fish are, apparently, hellbent on world domination, the narrator warns. “DON’T TRUST FISH!” Finally, at the tail end, we get a sly glimpse of our unreliable narrator. Readers needn’t be ichthyologists to appreciate Sharpson’s meticulous comic timing. (“Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn’t that strange?”) His delightful text, filled to the brim with jokes that read aloud brilliantly, pairs perfectly with Santat’s art, which shifts between extreme realism and goofy hilarity. He also fills the book with his own clever gags (such as an image of Gilligan’s Island’s S.S. Minnow going down and a bottle of sauce labeled “Surly Chik’n Srir’racha’r”).
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780593616673
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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