Fascinating and enlightening.
De la Bédoyère and Teckentrup team up again for another animal-focused survey.
This informative book starts with the basics. First, what is an amphibian? The opening spread doesn’t present the full definition, though readers can infer the rest from the pages that follow: These cold-blooded vertebrates mainly begin life in water with gills and metamorphose to live on land with lungs. De la Bédoyère moves on to discuss evolution; types of amphibians and their habitats and adaptations; metamorphosis; how they move, eat, and raise their young; and how the lives of people and amphibians have intersected, not always to the benefit of the animals. As with others in the series, this book lacks a table of contents and index, relying instead on spreads addressing specific topics. There is no glossary, but words, sometimes bolded, are defined in context. Teckentrup’s digital illustrations are collagelike, appearing to be cut out of marvelously patterned papers. Children are sure to pore over the pages, given the spotting challenges de la Bédoyère scatters throughout; the author’s lucid prose and knack for incorporating intriguing details (the greater siren can live without food for up to five years underground; the Taita caecilian grows an extra layer of skin for her hungry young to bite into) will keep them absorbed.
Fascinating and enlightening. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9781536244120
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Big Picture Press
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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
A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill.
Grown-ups may not be the only audience for this simple explanation of how algorithms work.
Taking a confused-looking hipster parent firmly in hand, a child first points to all the computers around the house (“Pro Tip: When dealing with grown-ups, don’t jump into the complicated stuff too fast. Start with something they already know”). Next, the child leads the adult outside to make and follow step-by-step directions for getting to the park, deciding which playground equipment to use, and finally walking home. Along the way, concepts like conditionals and variables come into play in street maps and diagrams, and a literal bug stands in for the sort that programmers will inevitably need to find and solve. The lesson culminates in an actual sample of very simple code with labels that unpack each instruction…plus a pop quiz to lay out a decision tree for crossing the street, because if “your grown-up can explain it, that shows they understand it!” That goes for kids, too—and though Spiro doesn’t take the logical next step and furnish leads to actual manuals, young (and not so young) fledgling coders will find plenty of good ones around, such as Get Coding! (2017), published by Candlewick, or Rachel Ziter’s Coding From Scratch (2018).
A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781623543181
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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