Nothing fishy about it: Enthusiasts can dive right in.
Here’s a colorful, factoid-filled offering about many kinds of fish.
In a sequence of topical double-page spreads, it covers what distinguishes fish from other animals (cutaway diagrams show the insides of two fish), how they evolved, where they live, what they eat, how they survive and defend themselves, how they propagate, and their relationship to humans. One spread, odd in its specificity, discusses Atlantic salmon. These subjects are explained in brief paragraphs written in a conversational tone accompanied by digital illustrations with labeled examples of well-defined fish specimens; the graphics and charts aptly flow with energy. Topic presentation is arbitrary and organizationally loose, which encourages browsing rather than strictly orderly, page-by-page perusal. Occasionally, readers must turn the book 90 degrees to read text and examine artwork. Attractive design elements include the helpful use of boldfaced type to set off names of individual fish species in captions and labels. A few spreads invite children to embark upon attention-getting “can-you-find-it?” challenges that don’t really have much to do with the subject at hand, though they are amusing; one challenge encourages youngsters to find a bristlemouth lurking somewhere inside the book. Though it won’t support report writers and there is no glossary or pronunciation guide, this will be welcome in classroom libraries.
Nothing fishy about it: Enthusiasts can dive right in. (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0625-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Big Picture/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A solid addition to the climate-change canon for those interested in saving a fragile world.
Dire consequences attend the unchecked melting of Arctic sea ice.
The more the ice melts, the more the Arctic climate changes. The more that air and ground temperatures rise, the more the frozen ecosystem’s inhabitants, including plants and insects, suffer from dwindling habitats; threats to food sources; and imbalances in feeding, breeding, and migration patterns. Solid information is packed into this brief work that lucidly raises the alarm for young readers, with each spread capturing the thrilling, chilling north in rich, dramatic blue swathes of seawater set off by icy glaciers and snowdrifts. Child-friendly, occasionally cluttered paintings, some with labels, highlight polar bears and their Arctic neighbors; a spread of vignettes illustrates how changes to plant life affect wildlife. One labeled spread explains all: As seawater warms, it absorbs sunlight, thus heating more water and melting more ice. One poignant spread depicts a bewildered polar bear mom, eyeing readers and flanked by her twin cubs, drifting on a shrinking ice floe. Two human children, one brown-skinned and one pale, occasionally appear in the illustrations as well. The book ends on a hopeful note, reassuring youngsters that “we still have time to save polar bears and slow the loss of Arctic ice.” A note in the backmatter offers conservation tips.
A solid addition to the climate-change canon for those interested in saving a fragile world. (author’s note, bibliography, additional sources) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-14319-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A refreshing dive past some of our world’s marine wonders.
Denizens of the deep crowd oversized pages in this populous gallery of ocean life.
The finny and tentacled sea creatures drifting or arrowing through Zommer’s teeming watercolor seascapes are generally recognizable, and they are livened rather than distorted by the artist’s tendency to place human eyes on the same side of many faces, Picasso-like. Headers such as “Ink-teresting” or “In for the krill” likewise add a playful tone to the pithy comments on anatomical features or behavioral quirks that accompany the figures (which include, though rarely, a white human diver). The topical spreads begin with an overview of ocean families (“Some are hairy, some have scales, some have fins and some are boneless and brainless!”), go on to introduce select animals in no particular order from sea horses and dragonets to penguins and pufferfish, then close with cautionary remarks on chemical pollution and floating plastic. The author invites readers as they go to find both answers to such questions as “Why does a crab run sideways?” and also a small sardine hidden in some, but not all, of the pictures. For the latter he provides a visual key at the end, followed by a basic glossary.
A refreshing dive past some of our world’s marine wonders. (index) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: June 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-500-65119-3
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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