An engaging, fun, and deep guide to how sea research happens.
The rarely seen giant squid is pursued by a research crew in a choose-your-own-adventure–style science book.
An ocean expedition sounds fun and exciting, but it takes a lot of work and a lot of people to pull it off. A large group of scientists and crew, all of whom appear to be people of color, sets out to learn more about giant squids. The book first introduces the array of workers on a research vessel, then later allows readers to select a pilot, a submersible, and a site to explore, among other options. Some dead ends lead back to earlier in the adventure. Those who make it to the end are rewarded by seeing the squid in its natural habitat. Along the way, the author, a Kirkus reviewer, informs readers about the largest squid ever (43 feet long) and the difference between a submarine and a human-occupied submersible; excitingly, readers are also told that “the giant squid’s natural habitat is the twilight zone. If you tried to swim there, your body would get squished by water pressure.” The friendly and fun exploration never gets too far into the science or the tools that it loses sight of the human faces driving the work with their preparation and skills.
An engaging, fun, and deep guide to how sea research happens. (note from the author and illustrator, special thanks to, animals in this book (common and scientific names), glossary, further reading and websites, bibliography, random facts) (Nonfiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-79721-393-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
PERSPECTIVES
Routine, bottom-shelf fare.
Imported from France, a gallery of dinosaurs and prehistoric reptiles, animated by pop-ups, spinners, and pull-tabs.
A pair of oversimplifications—that dinosaurs “no longer exist” but “entire skeletons” can be viewed in museums—starts the survey off with a resounding thud. Following this, in a disconnected ramble, topical spreads deal with the science of paleontology, the life cycle of Saltasaurus from egg to adult, defense mechanisms, big dinos, and, for an abrupt close, sea life. Some dinos feature feathers or crests in a low-contrast second color, but most are monochrome and all so simplified in form that, for instance, there’s almost no discernible difference between dull-hued Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus, immediately above it. The interactions are no great shakes either. Except for an initial spread-spanning folded flap, the pop-ups are printed on only one side, and the swings of the pull-tab tails of Ankylosaurus and Diplodocus aren’t even slightly realistic. Flora and fauna feel arbitrarily placed, and some feature unhelpfully generic labels such as “school of fish,” or “rodents” rather than actual identifiers. The co-published Firefighters, written by Anne-Sophie Baumann and illustrated by Benjamin Bécue, opens with an exploding building but otherwise offers a similarly flat assortment of general facts and low-rent special effects. In both volumes human figures, where they appear, are diverse in gender presentation, age, and skin color.
Routine, bottom-shelf fare. (Informational pop-up picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 979-1-02760-428-9
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Like its series mates from Giant Vehicles (2014) on, a pleaser for fans of big rigs.
Die-cut flaps offer glimpses inside eight 20th-century fliers, from Louis Bleriot’s 1909 Type XI to the space shuttle.
Biesty’s exactingly detailed painted portraits are the stars of the show—each presenting a type of passenger liner or freight hauler (most of them big and bulky) poised in flight, viewed from slightly above or below. Each also features four or so inconspicuous flaps that lift to reveal neatly drawn seats and storage spaces, internal bracing, fuel tanks, toilets, and other points of interest. Along with very brief accounts of each craft’s career, Graham adds surrounding captions that point out ailerons and cockpits, engines, exhaust ducts, and other physical features. Small human figures, most but not all light-skinned, impart a sense of scale. Where space permits, pertinent spot images of related items of interest—the Wrights’ Flyer, Harriet Quimby, a zeppelin, or other side subject—are tucked in. Only two aircraft covered, the U.S. Boeing 747 and the Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopter, are still in common use, so this album may appeal more to fans of aviation’s past than its present or future.
Like its series mates from Giant Vehicles (2014) on, a pleaser for fans of big rigs. (Informational novelty. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0281-6
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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