Distinctly sketchy, but saved by lively wit and insight.
Dinos die, giving humans a chance to evolve into space travelers and planet polluters, in this whirlwind follow up to A Comic Book History of the Big Bang and Beyond (2026).
Keeping the tone upbeat (for all that she begins with the sudden descent of a “GINORMOUS” asteroid and ends with a challenge to get on the stick about climate change), Claybourne chronicles 66 million years of continents drifting, mammals getting bigger, and apes coming down from the trees to evolve from nine human species to one. Meanwhile, the art echoes that theme of constant change in numerous ways, including views of a tropical Antarctica, of whale evolution and (much later) the growth of cities, and of worldwide legends of great floods. Though skipping all but glancing mention of religion, medicine, and art, the narrative does carry the human story through the age of invention to early space flight, with savvy insights into how, for instance, the first civilizations exchanged social equality for efficiency. Cameos of a handful of pathfinders from High Priestess Enheduanna of Sumer to 1963 French astro-kitty Félicette are included. Once they lose most of their body hair, the figures in Ferreira’s panels display a range of brown skin tones.
Distinctly sketchy, but saved by lively wit and insight. (glossary, index) (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: today
ISBN: 9781525315046
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This animated volume will surely rouse future change-makers.
A graphic compendium of 16 strong, trailblazing women.
In Williams’ classic comic-strip style, the lives of women scientists, pioneers, athletes, and artists are explored and celebrated. In chronological order from ancient to contemporary, Williams touches on key moments in each woman’s life. Compressing an entire lifetime into a few panels stretched across two pages is a feat; it makes for condensed (somewhat choppy) storytelling, but Williams’ humorous touches lighten the format. Bright, intricate cartoons are infused with conversational text while chatty birds line the edges of the panels, chirping extra facts. A pair of dark-skinned pals, Dot and Abe, frolic along the bottom, adding commentary and forward motion to encourage readers to keep turning the pages. Alas, of the 16 highlighted females, most are familiar names, including Anne Frank, Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Helping to diversify the gallery are such figures as Frida Kahlo, Wangari Maathai, and Mae Jemison. Williams acknowledges the difficult nature of choosing a select list; she includes brief information about 59 others in the back along with a challenge to readers to find more heroic women who have inspired them.
This animated volume will surely rouse future change-makers. (index) (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0111-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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