Budding naturalists may find parts of this inspirational as well as instructive, though most digestible in small doses.
A handbook for children inspired to take nature walks of their own by the classic picture book and its 2016 TV adaptation.
Illustrated with a rich mix of line drawings, diagrams, and stills from the animated film, this trim and tidy manual aspires to give readers all of the basics required to see and to appreciate the natural world. The result is, no surprise, a vastly uneven jumble in which elementary statements such as “Stars are huge balls of glowing gas,” and “Soil covers much of the earth’s land,” mingle with close looks at the working parts of flowers, insects, and feathers; types of clouds and of mountains; explanations for why the sky is blue (or sometimes red); and causes and effects of global warming. Likewise, descriptions—sometimes just verbal—of tracks, scat, and other signs are limited to just a few representative creatures. Suggestions for activities range from a bald “Sponsor an endangered animal” and a (presumably) nonserious but startling “you should be all set for a bear hunt of your own” (this is an import from Britain, where there are none) to detailed directions for making mud bricks, a worm farm, baked apples, and bear-paw cookies (the last three with adult help). A companion “explorer’s journal” publishes simultaneously, with writing prompts and blank pages to draw in for those readers who venture out.
Budding naturalists may find parts of this inspirational as well as instructive, though most digestible in small doses. (Nonfiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9843-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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