by Barbara J Bennett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 26, 2013
A friendly introduction to science and a worthy addition to preschool shelves.
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This quiet, contemplative picture book gives the youngest listeners their first glimpses of science.
In Bennett’s debut picture book, Harold the dog takes a walk. “He thinks the world around him is beautiful and wonderful.” After resting under a shady tree, Harold wants to learn more about it. He asks the bird what she knows about the tree. “This tree provides a safe place for me to live and to hatch my eggs,” she says. “See, I’ve built my nest in its branches. That’s all I know about this tree.” The squirrel knows that the tree gives him nuts to feed his family; the boy knows the tree as a place where he and his friends can climb and play. The narrative draws on the tale of the blind men and the elephant, that Indian folk tale in which men each describe the animal according to the small part they can touch—the tail, the ear, the skin, etc. It’s all about perspective. It’s too bad the blind men didn’t have someone on hand to synthesize what they were all seeing. Harold does, though, after he runs into professor Growgood (a clunker of a name in a book full of otherwise well-selected words). He answers Harold, “Why, knowing about trees and plants is my job!” He continues, “Trees are living things, but they don’t eat food like you and I do. They create their own food by using sunlight and carbon dioxide from the air.” With its simple explanation of photosynthesis, professor Growgood’s botanical explanation of trees and how they grow is suited to the interest level and vocabulary of preschoolers. Pleased with his encounter with professor Growgood, Harold trots home thinking, “I wonder how rain gets into clouds. Perhaps I’ll learn about that tomorrow”—hinting at what would be a welcome series. Bennett’s words are simple, sweet and carefully chosen. Together with the book’s soft-toned, colorful illustrations, they create a gentle world with just enough information for young children to absorb.
A friendly introduction to science and a worthy addition to preschool shelves.Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4904-0585-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2016
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of...
An international story tackles a serious global issue with Reynolds’ characteristic visual whimsy.
Gie Gie—aka Princess Gie Gie—lives with her parents in Burkina Faso. In her kingdom under “the African sky, so wild and so close,” she can tame wild dogs with her song and make grass sway, but despite grand attempts, she can neither bring the water closer to home nor make it clean. French words such as “maintenant!” (now!) and “maman” (mother) and local color like the karite tree and shea nuts place the story in a French-speaking African country. Every morning, Gie Gie and her mother perch rings of cloth and large clay pots on their heads and walk miles to the nearest well to fetch murky, brown water. The story is inspired by model Georgie Badiel, who founded the Georgie Badiel Foundation to make clean water accessible to West Africans. The details in Reynolds’ expressive illustrations highlight the beauty of the West African landscape and of Princess Gie Gie, with her cornrowed and beaded hair, but will also help readers understand that everyone needs clean water—from the children of Burkina Faso to the children of Flint, Michigan.
Though told by two outsiders to the culture, this timely and well-crafted story will educate readers on the preciousness of potable water. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-399-17258-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2019
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book.
Ada Twist’s incessant stream of questions leads to answers that help solve a neighborhood crisis.
Ada conducts experiments at home to answer questions such as, why does Mom’s coffee smell stronger than Dad’s coffee? Each answer leads to another question, another hypothesis, and another experiment, which is how she goes from collecting data on backyard birds for a citizen-science project to helping Rosie Revere figure out how to get her uncle Ned down from the sky, where his helium-filled “perilous pants” are keeping him afloat. The Questioneers—Rosie the engineer, Iggy Peck the architect, and Ada the scientist—work together, asking questions like scientists. Armed with knowledge (of molecules and air pressure, force and temperature) but more importantly, with curiosity, Ada works out a solution. Ada is a recognizable, three-dimensional girl in this delightfully silly chapter book: tirelessly curious and determined yet easily excited and still learning to express herself. If science concepts aren’t completely clear in this romp, relationships and emotions certainly are. In playful full- and half-page illustrations that break up the text, Ada is black with Afro-textured hair; Rosie and Iggy are white. A closing section on citizen science may inspire readers to get involved in science too; on the other hand, the “Ode to a Gas!” may just puzzle them. Other backmatter topics include the importance of bird study and the threat palm-oil use poses to rainforests.
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3422-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
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