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OUR WORLD OUT OF BALANCE

Name: OUR WORLD OUT OF BALANCE
Author: Andrea Minoglio
ISBN: 978-1-7350005-3-4

UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE AND WHAT WE CAN DO

by Andrea Minoglio ; illustrated by Laura Fanelli ; translated by Emma Mandley ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 13, 2021

A solid pick among many similar titles for its positive approach and breadth.

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A survey of global threats to our environment and what can be done.

From human-caused climate changes to too much trash, our world is out of balance. Appropriately, this clear introduction to the whats and whys of environmental degradation balances sad facts with examples of what can and is being done. Chapter by chapter this Italian import covers 15 environmental problems: global warming, rising sea levels, shrinking forests, growing cities, melting ice, disappearing wildlife, extreme weather, plastic in the ocean, desertification, polluted air, dying corals, overfarming, water pollution, fires, and waste management. Each four-page chapter includes an introduction to the issue, with descriptions of circumstances both before and after recent climate changes, and a spread explaining why and how the damage happens (usually described step by step), personal ways to help, and what others are doing. There’s a concluding call for readers to speak out, as other young activists do. The organization of this survey is clear, the information accessible, the translation smooth, and the backmatter U.S.–centered. The illustrations have the appearance of prints, with blocks of undifferentiated color. They’re full of details, humans (whose skin color is usually paper white but sometimes tan or black) doing all sorts of things, visual explanations, and scenes from all over the world.

A solid pick among many similar titles for its positive approach and breadth. (websites for action, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-13)

Pub Date: April 13, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-7350005-3-4

Page Count: 72

Publisher: Blue Dot Kids Press

Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
FASTER THAN A JET, BIGGER THAN A WHALE
by Andrea Minoglio ; illustrated by Bethany Lord

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I WANT TO BE AN ENVIRONMENTALIST

by Stephanie Maze ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2000

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This glossy, colorful title in the “I Want To Be” series has visual appeal but poor organization and a fuzzy focus, which limits its usefulness. Each double-paged layout introduces a new topic with six to eight full-color photographs and a single column of text. Topics include types of environmentalists, eco-issues, waste renewal, education, High School of Environmental Studies, environmental vocabulary, history of environmentalism, famous environmentalists, and the return of the eagle. Often the photographs have little to do with the text or are marginal to the topic. For example, a typical layout called “Some Alternative Solutions” has five snapshots superimposed on a double-page photograph of a California wind farm. The text discusses ways to develop alternative forms of energy and “encourage environmentally friendly lifestyles.” Photos include “a healer who treats a patient with alternative therapy using sound and massage,” and “the Castle,” a house built of “used tires and aluminum cans.” Elsewhere, “Did You Know . . . ” shows a dramatic photo of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but the text provides odd facts such as “ . . . that in Saudi Arabia there are solar-powered pay phones in the desert?” Some sections seem stuck in, a two-page piece on the effects of “El Niño” or 50 postage-stamp–sized photos of endangered species. The author concludes with places to write for more information and a list of photo credits. Pretty, but little here to warrant purchase. (Nonfiction. 9-11)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000

ISBN: 0-15-201862-X

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
HEALTHY FOODS FROM A TO Z / COMIDA SANA DEL LA A AL LA Z
edited by Stephanie Maze & photographed by Renée Comet

- BOOK REVIEW
TENDER MOMENTS IN THE WILD
edited by Stephanie Maze

- BOOK REVIEW
AMUSING MOMENTS IN THE WILD
edited by Stephanie Maze

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DOLPHINS

WHAT THEY CAN TEACH US

by Mary M. Cerullo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 1999

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An enchanting book about the latest research on dolphins, and how people benefit from the new information. Cerullo (The Octopus, 1997, etc.) spent a week at the Dolphin Research Center in Florida, and learned that dolphins “deserved their reputation for friendliness, playfulness, complex social behavior, and group loyalty.” The US Navy studies dolphins to learn about hydrodynamics, echolocation, and deep-diving ability “in order to apply these principles to the design of Navy ships and submarines.” Readers will be fascinated by the descriptions of how dolphins “see” through sonar, and by one of the most interesting roles for dolphins, in therapy programs with children who are coping with cancer, disabilities, or depression. With beautiful full-color photographs, the presentation is appealing and incisive. (glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)