Readers will enjoy the memory challenges, and many may well put the techniques that work best to use in their daily lives.
Veitch invites readers to tag along with Ben on his worldwide adventures and learn some memory-enhancing techniques along the way.
Explorer Ben visits some amazing places, does some cool things, and sees some awesome sights, but he is rather accident- and loss-prone. Each adventure takes up two double-page spreads. On the first, readers are told where Ben is going, 10 things he is packing, a memory trick for remembering those 10 items, and an example of that technique in action. These mnemonic aids include, among others: creating a story, rhyme, or song; making a picture that includes all the items; imagining picking the items up in the rooms of your house; and acting out using the objects. The second spread shows what mishap befalls Ben, enumerates the objects he still has in his possession, and prompts readers to name what’s missing. Backmatter includes a final memory quiz and “Tips for Parents” about additional memory boosters. Beedie’s seemingly digital illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic. The items are easy to identify, and the vignette illustrations showing Ben’s misadventures picture some of the items to be remembered, making it a bit easier. Still, this is about mnemonics, not about logic: the hot air ballooning adventure includes eight items for a midair tea party.
Readers will enjoy the memory challenges, and many may well put the techniques that work best to use in their daily lives. (Picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68297-206-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: QEB Publishing
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
This genuinely clever math book uses rhyming couplets and riddles, as well as visual cues to help the reader find new ways to group numbers for quick counting. It’s a return to number sets, with none of those boring parentheses and <>signs. Here the rhyme gives a clue to the new ways of grouping numbers. For example: “Mama mia, pizza pie, / How many mushrooms do you spy? / Please don’t count them, it’s too slow, / This hot pie was made to go! / Let me give you some advice, / Just do half and count it twice.” A quick look at the pizza, and the reader can see each slice has the same number of mushrooms. Count by threes for half the pie, and double it. Each rhyme is given a double-page spread. The extra-large, brightly colored images leap off the page but never distract from the author’s intent. Some riddles are very challenging, but the author provides all the solutions in the back. Once the reader has seen the answers, the strategy is obvious and can be applied to other situations. Great fun for math enthusiasts and creative thinkers, this might also teach adults some new tricks. A winning addition. (Nonfiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-439-21033-X
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
An inspirational look at one girl’s quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom.
A Black girl’s simple observation propels her into activism.
Woodard, who launched the More Than Peach Project—which arranges for classrooms and children in need to receive kits that include art supplies and boxes of multicultural crayons (crayons in a variety of skin tones)—relates the incident that sparked her journey. As the book begins, she is dropped off at school and notices that her family’s skin tone differs from that of her classmates. While it is clear that she is one of a few children of color at school, that difference isn’t really felt until her friends start asking for the “skin-color” crayon when they mean peach. She’s bothered that no one else seems to notice that skin comes in many colors, so she devises a unique way of bringing everyone’s attention to that fact. With support from her family and her school, she encourages her fellow classmates to rethink their language and starts an initiative to ensure that everyone’s skin tone is represented in each crayon box. Appealing, realistic artwork depicts Woodard’s experiences, while endpapers feature More Than Peach crayon boxes and childlike illustrations of kids of different ethnicities doing various activities. The story is stirring and will motivate budding activists. (This book was reviewed digitally; the review has been updated for factual accuracy.)
An inspirational look at one girl’s quest to make sure that all skin tones are visible and available in the classroom. (note from Woodard, information on Woodard’s journey into activism, instructions on starting a drive) (Picture-book biography. 6-10)Pub Date: July 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-80927-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2022
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