Limited as a source of information but packing a big visual wow factor.
Viewed through colored filters, apparent jumbles are transformed into 10 natural habitats and select gatherings of native animals.
For each of the locales—a redwood forest, the Ganges River basin, Loch Lomond, the Apo Reef in the Philippines, and more—a large wordless spread is sandwiched between a colored introductory opening with brief descriptive notes and a monochrome visual key with information about 18 wild residents. The illustrations that cover the colored spreads are made up of flora and fauna drawn with precise naturalism using one of three distinct palettes—predominately red, or green, or blue—and superimposed. To the naked eye the scenes look like garish tangles of vague shapes, but peeking through the three tinted windows in a viewer drawn from a front pocket separates the layers: into nine-member galleries of diurnal and nocturnal (or crepuscular) animals for red and blue respectively; and expanses of thick foliage or coral with green. As the author neither identifies nor describes any of the flora on view, the focus is less on natural history than on the visual trick—but the transformations seem almost magical, and young viewers will be slow to tire of switching the pictures back and forth.
Limited as a source of information but packing a big visual wow factor. (Informational picture book. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-84780-887-5
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
A strong start to a new series in the ever-popular Warriors world: Legions of fans will purr.
Increased evidence of encroachment by Twolegs and other ominous signs of change roil the five feline Clans of the lake territories in this kickoff of a new story arc.
In intertwined storylines, a distracting voice in a young apprentice’s head takes on increasingly scary strength, disturbing visions inform an experienced warrior that she’s been chosen by the spirit guides of StarClan to play an unwanted role in impending troubles, and a wise but weakening Clan leader faces being voted out of office due to her age. Meanwhile, the enigmatic Twolegs are tearing up a forested area, poisoning an important stream, and possibly threatening all the established territories of the five Clans. Avid series fans will welcome encounters with older versions of Leafstar, Tawnypelt, and other stalwarts whom they met in previous episodes. Detailed maps labeling the terrain in both cat and Twoleg terms appear at the beginning of the book, along with a cast list of truly imposing length, helping any readers who need reminders to keep track of the dozens of relationships and Clan affiliations. Better yet, expertly mixed in among dreams and discussions that crank up the general level of anxiety, the book has enough incidental action and individual wrestling with personal issues to help the main characters stand out from the furry crowd.
A strong start to a new series in the ever-popular Warriors world: Legions of fans will purr. (Animal fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780063357068
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
Rich, naturalistic details will delight lovers of marine life.
A Monterey Bay sea otter comes of age.
Odder’s mom told her to stay away from sharks, humans, and anything else she didn’t understand, but after saving her friend Kairi from a shark attack, she encounters all three. Injured herself during the rescue, Odder ends up recuperating at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, or Highwater as the otters call it, where she once lived as a young orphaned pup. Last time, the humans helped her reintegrate into the wild, but because of her injuries this time the outcome might be different. Soon Kairi is there too, stricken with “the shaking sickness” and having lost her newborn pup. Now Kairi is fostering a new pup, and soon one is introduced to an initially reluctant Odder in hopes that she will help raise it so it can return to the wild. The free verse effortlessly weaves in scientific information, giving Odder a voice without overly anthropomorphizing any of the animals. The natural appeal of sea otters will draw readers in, but the book doesn’t shy away from real-world threats such as predators, disease, and pollution. Loosely based on the stories of real sea otters rehabilitated at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, this novel will give readers lots to talk about, but uneven pacing and a rushed ending may leave some unsatisfied. Charming black-and-white spot art captures the world and life of the sea.
Rich, naturalistic details will delight lovers of marine life. (glossary, author’s note, bibliography, resources) (Verse novel. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-14742-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
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