Admirable environmental furor is overshadowed by a preachy tone and out-of-touch language.
A collection of 16 biographical stories about environmental advocates from around the world.
Utilizing a dozen or so pages for each profile, this title introduces readers to influential people from a broad range of fields, each shown doing their part to protect the fragile, interconnected planet we call home. These subjects include former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, and Yvon Chouinard, the rebellious founder of Patagonia. Within this collection there is great variety in individuals’ motivations and approaches to environmental crises. Each person is introduced with a colorful, painterly portrait incorporating signature elements of their story that begin in childhood and progress in a linear fashion. Written in the present tense, the translated text toggles between straightforward narrative nonfiction and moralistic storytelling, emphasizing the virtues of each protagonist. Non-English vocabulary is clearly defined or easily understood in context. The layout is occasionally broken up with spotlighted sentences from the text that are often disruptive in their placement. More concerning than the absence of sources for information and quoted dialogue are the dated language and approach that include a story presenting the stereotype of the inspirational disabled person, the framing of Greta Thunberg as suffering from and afflicted with Asperger syndrome, and a casual mention that musician Björk was nicknamed “China Girl” at school because of her eyes.
Admirable environmental furor is overshadowed by a preachy tone and out-of-touch language. (Nonfiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64421-086-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Triangle Square Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats.
Why should grown-ups get all the historical, scientific, athletic, cinematic, and artistic glory?
Choosing exemplars from both past and present, Mitchell includes but goes well beyond Alexander the Great, Anne Frank, and like usual suspects to introduce a host of lesser-known luminaries. These include Shapur II, who was formally crowned king of Persia before he was born, Indian dancer/professional architect Sheila Sri Prakash, transgender spokesperson Jazz Jennings, inventor Param Jaggi, and an international host of other teen or preteen activists and prodigies. The individual portraits range from one paragraph to several pages in length, and they are interspersed with group tributes to, for instance, the Nazi-resisting “Swingkinder,” the striking New York City newsboys, and the marchers of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. Mitchell even offers would-be villains a role model in Elagabalus, “boy emperor of Rome,” though she notes that he, at least, came to an awful end: “Then, then! They dumped his remains in the Tiber River, to be nommed by fish for all eternity.” The entries are arranged in no evident order, and though the backmatter includes multiple booklists, a personality quiz, a glossary, and even a quick Braille primer (with Braille jokes to decode), there is no index. Still, for readers whose fires need lighting, there’s motivational kindling on nearly every page.
A breezy, bustling bucketful of courageous acts and eye-popping feats. (finished illustrations not seen) (Collective biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-751813-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Puffin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2015
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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