by Carol Doeringer ; illustrated by Florence Weiser ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2023
Sure to provoke giggles even for audiences who already know to avoid skunks.
Two campers narrowly escape an encounter with a skunk.
The rollicking rhymes and second-person address keep the pages turning and the threat level high in this amusing, educational look at what you should do if you come across a skunk. (In case you don’t already know, the answer is universally to retreat!) While the unseen narrator gives prudent advice to the duo and plays up the threat they face as the skunk moves through its warning body language, the two campers, whose facial expressions and own body language reflect their fright, largely fail to heed the advice to get away, instead sticking around until the skunk is balanced atop its front legs, both nose and tail pointed straight at them. The facts woven into the tale are rounded out in the backmatter, which lists some skunk facts, describes their “stink defense,” and gives some resources for learning more. The action plays out against white backgrounds, keeping the focus on the interactions. One camper is brown-skinned with short dreadlocks; the other has tan skin and straight black hair in short pigtails. Share this one-on-one so children can see the hysterical reactions of the snail on each spread. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Sure to provoke giggles even for audiences who already know to avoid skunks. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781534111721
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
Share your opinion of this book
by Meredith Costain ; illustrated by Polona Lovšin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2017
A $16.99 Mother’s Day card for cat lovers.
The team of Costain and Lovšin (Daddies are Awesome, 2016) gives moms their due.
Rhyming verses tell of all the ways moms are amazing: “Mommies are magic. / They kiss away troubles… // …find gold in the sunlight / and rainbows in bubbles.” Moms are joyful—the best playmates. They are also fearless and will protect and soothe if you are scared. Clever moms know just what to do when you’re sad, sporty moms run and leap and climb, while tender moms cuddle. “My mommy’s so special. / I tell her each day… // … just how much I love her / in every way!” Whereas dads were illustrated with playful pups and grown-up dogs in the previous book, moms are shown as cats with their kittens in myriad colors, sizes, and breeds. Lovšin’s cats look as though they are smiling at each other in their fun, though several spreads are distractingly cut in half by the gutter. However delightful the presentation—the verse rolls fairly smoothly, and the cats are pretty cute—the overall effect is akin to a cream puff’s: very sweet and insubstantial.
A $16.99 Mother’s Day card for cat lovers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62779-651-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
Share your opinion of this book
More by Meredith Costain
BOOK REVIEW
by Meredith Costain ; illustrated by Nicolette Hegyes
BOOK REVIEW
by Meredith Costain ; illustrated by Danielle McDonald
BOOK REVIEW
by Meredith Costain ; illustrated by Polona Lovšin
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Irene Chan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 2019
So rocket science can be fun.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
If they haven’t already thought about their futures (and they probably haven’t), toddlers and preschoolers might start planning after perusing this cheerful first guide to scientific careers. Plump-cheeked, wide-eyed tykes with various skin and hair colors introduce different professions, including zoologist, meteorologist, aerospace engineer, and environmental scientist, depicted with cues to tip readers off to what the jobs entail. The simple text presents the sometimes-long, tongue-twisting career names while helpfully defining them in comprehensible terms. For example, an environmental scientist “helps take care of our world,” and a zoologist is defined as someone who “studies how animals behave.” Scientists in general are identified as those who “study, learn, and solve problems.” Such basic language not only benefits youngsters, but also offers adults sharing the book easy vocabulary with which to expand on conversations with kids about the professions. The title’s ebullient appearance is helped along by the typography: The jobs’ names are set in all caps, printed in color and in a larger font than the surrounding text, and emphasized with exclamation points. Additionally, the buoyant watercolors feature clues to what scientists in these fields work with, such as celestial bodies for astronomers. The youngest listeners won’t necessarily get all of this, but the book works as a rudimentary introduction to STEM topics and a shoutout to scientific endeavors.
So rocket science can be fun. (Informational picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62354-149-1
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Greg Paprocki
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Irene Chan
More by Ruth Spiro
BOOK REVIEW
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins
BOOK REVIEW
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Teresa Martínez
BOOK REVIEW
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Irene Chan
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.