A fascinating, easy-to-understand primer for anyone curious about horses.
The history and habits of equines.
Horses, as we know them today, first appeared as a genus called Eohippus 52 million years ago, the size of a dog and sporting three toes in addition to hooves. A two-page spread displays how this little creature evolved into the majestic horses we know; great care goes into showing not only how the ancestors of horses looked, but also their leg bone structure within picture balloons. This latest in the series blends expert research with beautiful illustrations, allowing readers to absorb a vast amount of information in just 48 pages. Biology professor York explains not only how horses, zebras, donkeys, and other members of the family spend their days, but how they communicate and survive against drought, predators, and even each other. Like others in the series, this one offers a “day in the life” of various animals, presenting a different vignette for each hour of the day: a foal being born and walking within hours in the English countryside, a fight between mustangs on the Nevada plains. Explanations of the purposes of horsetails (nature’s fly swatters) and stripes on a zebra (to confuse predators) are just a few of the factoids found here, written in easy-to-understand prose. Prabhat’s illustrations effectively create a sense of place and action and differentiate the wide range of species. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fascinating, easy-to-understand primer for anyone curious about horses. (glossary, index) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68449-250-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Neon Squid/Macmillan
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Lighthearted and informative, though the premise may be a bit stretched.
An amiable introduction to our thrifty, sociable, teeming insect cousins.
Bunting notes that all the ants on Earth weigh roughly the same as all the people and observes that ants (like, supposedly, us) love recycling, helping others, and taking “micronaps.” They, too, live in groups, and their “superpower” is an ability to work together to accomplish amazing things. Bunting goes on to describe different sorts of ants within the colony (“Drone. Male. Does no housework. Takes to the sky. Reproduces. Drops dead”), how they communicate using pheromones, and how they get from egg to adult. He concludes that we could learn a lot from them that would help us leave our planet in better shape than it was when we arrived. If he takes a pass on mentioning a few less positive shared traits (such as our tendency to wage war on one another), still, his comparisons do invite young readers to observe the natural world more closely and to reflect on our connections to it. In the simple illustrations, generic black ants look up at viewers with little googly eyes while scurrying about the pages gathering food, keeping nests clean, and carrying outsized burdens.
Lighthearted and informative, though the premise may be a bit stretched. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 19, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567784
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
PERSPECTIVES
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