by Catherine L. Weyerhaeuser ; illustrated by Catherine L. Weyerhaeuser ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 15, 2016
A smooth if not very memorable ride.
A child’s questions lead to a trip around the water cycle, with stops to examine erosion, aquifer misuse, and other hydrological topics.
Weyerhaeuser’s explanations are informative enough, but her distant illustrations and lecturing tone will keep readers at arm’s length. Clad in rain gear, the light-skinned mother and child face away from viewers (except in the final picture) as they pick their way along a river bank or examine pond water through a magnifying lens while bears and other wildlife look on. Most of the way they’re offstage anyway, as a view of our “blue planet” with tiny plants and animals within continental outlines gives way to natural scenes of mountains and rainbows, a glacier, a dinosaur (“How old is water, Momma?”), a delta, sedimentary layers, and stylized views of farms, factories, and clear-cut slopes. The child’s closing desire “to be good to the earth so our water can be here forever!” conveys a misleading notion that water could go somewhere else. Weyerhaeuser’s illustration style is naïve and childlike, its lack of depth appealing but also disorienting in panoramic views.
A smooth if not very memorable ride. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-87842-656-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mountain Press
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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by Emily Calandrelli & Tamson Weston ; illustrated by Renée Kurilla ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 29, 2017
The story feels a bit contrived, but Ada will be a welcome addition to the small circle of science-loving girls in the...
Using science and technology, third-grader Ada Lace kicks off her new series by solving a mystery even with her leg in a cast.
Temporarily housebound after a badly executed bungee jump, Ada uses binoculars to document the ecosystem of her new neighborhood in San Francisco. She records her observations in a field journal, a project that intrigues new friend Nina, who lives nearby. When they see that Ms. Reed’s dog, Marguerite, is missing, they leap to the conclusion that it has been stolen. Nina does the legwork and Ada provides the technology for their search for the dognapper. Story-crafting takes a back seat to scene-setting in this series kickoff that introduces the major players. As part of the series formula, science topics and gadgetry are integrated into the stories and further explained in a “Behind the Science” afterword. This installment incorporates drones, a wireless camera, gecko gloves, and the Turing test as well as the concept of an ecosystem. There are no ethnic indicators in the text, but the illustrations reveal that Ada, her family, and bratty neighbor Milton are white; Nina appears to be Southeast Asian; and Mr. Peebles, an inventor who lives nearby, is black.
The story feels a bit contrived, but Ada will be a welcome addition to the small circle of science-loving girls in the chapter-book world. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8599-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
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by Emily Calandrelli with Tamson Weston ; illustrated by Renée Kurilla
by Henry Winkler ; Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Scott Garrett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 14, 2014
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda.
Hank Zipzer, poster boy for dyslexic middle graders everywhere, stars in a new prequel series highlighting second-grade trials and triumphs.
Hank’s hopes of playing Aqua Fly, a comic-book character, in the upcoming class play founder when, despite plenty of coaching and preparation, he freezes up during tryouts. He is not particularly comforted when his sympathetic teacher adds a nonspeaking role as a bookmark to the play just for him. Following the pattern laid down in his previous appearances as an older child, he gets plenty of help and support from understanding friends (including Ashley Wong, a new apartment-house neighbor). He even manages to turn lemons into lemonade with a quick bit of improv when Nick “the Tick” McKelty, the sneering classmate who took his preferred role, blanks on his lines during the performance. As the aforementioned bully not only chokes in the clutch and gets a demeaning nickname, but is fat, boastful and eats like a pig, the authors’ sensitivity is rather one-sided. Still, Hank has a winning way of bouncing back from adversity, and like the frequent black-and-white line-and-wash drawings, the typeface is designed with easy legibility in mind.
An uncomplicated opener, with some funny bits and a clear but not heavy agenda. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48239-2
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2014
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by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Dan Santat
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by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver ; illustrated by Ethan Nicolle
BOOK REVIEW
by Henry Winkler & Lin Oliver
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