A slice of history, accurately presented.
A literal big cheese’s trip to the White House.
In 1835, Col. Thomas S. Meacham, a landowner in Sandy Creek, New York, wanted to give a gift to President Andrew Jackson—something that would “show off the talents of his farming community.” He decided to prepare a very large cheese, a 1,400-pound cheese to be exact. “Four feet in diameter, two feet thick” (the illustrations take a bit of liberty on exaggerating cheese size—unless everyone back then was only 4 feet tall), the cheese made its way along rivers and canals until it reached its final destination in January 1836: the White House. There, it sat in splendor in the entrance hall slowly being consumed until, in the ensuing hot, humid summer, it began to stink. A lot. The president decided to have a cheese party on Washington’s birthday, Feb. 22. Ten thousand people came, and the cheese was finally finished. This narrative competently imparts the facts and relays the basics of cheesemaking. The illustrations vary among double-page spreads, spot illustrations, and single-page images, and while they are historically accurate in their depictions of dress and architecture, they lack a certain pizzazz overall, simply mirroring the narrative. Most people, including Meacham, are White; a few people of color are shown but mostly as workers (probably enslaved people). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A slice of history, accurately presented. (further information, facts about cheese, selected sources) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: March 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781534111936
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature.
In a new entry in the Over and Under series, a paddleboarder glimpses humpback whales leaping, floats over a populous kelp forest, and explores life on a beach and in a tide pool.
In this tale inspired by Messner’s experiences in Monterey Bay in California, a young tan-skinned narrator, along with their light-skinned mom and tan-skinned dad, observes in quiet, lyrical language sights and sounds above and below the sea’s serene surface. Switching perspectives and angles of view and often leaving the family’s red paddleboards just tiny dots bobbing on distant swells, Neal’s broad seascapes depict in precise detail bat stars and anchovies, kelp bass, and sea otters going about their business amid rocky formations and the swaying fronds of kelp…and, further out, graceful moon jellies and—thrillingly—massive whales in open waters beneath gliding pelicans and other shorebirds. After returning to the beach at day’s end to search for shells and to spot anemones and decorator crabs, the child ends with nighttime dreams of stars in the sky meeting stars in the sea. Appended nature notes on kelp and 21 other types of sealife fill in details about patterns and relationships in this rich ecosystem. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-79720-347-8
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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