A browser’s delight.
An album of captioned photographs of nearly 60 exotic birds offers dramatic evidence of astonishing diversity in the avian word.
The images are striking, with the bird (or its head) shown against a stark white background. From the black skimmer to the vulturine guineafowl, they are presented by common name, but Latin names are also given. Each illustration is accompanied by a paragraph about ways in which the bird is particularly bizarre. Sometimes the text indicates where it might be found, in a general way—Africa, Central and South America, in rain forests—and sometimes it mentions habitat or eating habits, size or eggs. But this is not a book for research; it’s a display. There are enormous beaks and splendiferous tails, bright colors in skin and feathers, and surprisingly different feet. The southern ground hornbill has remarkable eyelashes; penguins excrete excess salt through their nostrils; the palm cockatoo makes a drumstick from a branch and bangs it against a hollow tree to attract a mate. These pictures, from stock photo collections, are attributed (photographer and source) in agate type on the verso. Unfortunately, the author, an interpretive biologist, provides no sources for his information nor suggestions for further exploration. A similar, simultaneously publishing collection, Weird Frogs, uses a similar approach.
A browser’s delight. (index) (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-77085-441-3
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
An excellent choice for nature-loving elementary readers.
Footprints show the impact of human actions on Earth in this eco-friendly nonfiction picture book.
Swanson’s simple text, accompanied by clear, detailed photography, highlights the many different sizes and shapes of footprints. A photo of an elephant’s large prints shows a child leaping from one to the next alongside a photograph of the animals walking. Small footprints of insects and other animals are shown before the work showcases a diverse array of human footwear. Footprints “capture adventures at the greatest heights,” the book notes, showing paths on mountains and on the moon. The text moves on to metaphorical footprints, suggesting that young activists follow in the steps of historical changemakers, then briefly addresses digital and carbon footprints, further explained in notes at the back. Swanson’s accessible text is tailored to emergent readers, with few pages featuring more than one sentence; most passages stretch over multiple pages. The metaphorical footprints are likely to require adult discussion about what it means to leave behind traces of one’s actions. The selection of uncredited photos is excellent, with images from history and nature that are well suited to each idea; Rosa Parks and Greta Thunberg are among the changemakers featured. The text doesn’t name many of them, though, which will leave readers who don’t recognize them at a loss.
An excellent choice for nature-loving elementary readers.Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4788-7603-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Reycraft Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An intriguing package for curious readers that both celebrates and informs.
Fascinating facts about rivers.
In the vein of the publisher’s Amazing Islands, by Sabrina Weiss and also illustrated by Hyndman (2020), this volume describes freshwater waterways around the world. Opening with a page of general definition, Agnone and Hyndman go on to use more than 100 examples of rivers from around the world to explain topics such as source and flow, what and who can be found in and around rivers, how they’re used, how they’ve been spanned or channeled, threats, and gems, ores, and other treasures. There are plentiful examples of wildlife, human activities, and natural wonders, including caves, waterfalls, ice pancakes—even a river that reverses its flow seasonally. The Colorado, Tigris and Euphrates, Amazon, Yangtze, and Li rivers get chapters of their own. Each big subject is addressed in short, titled paragraphs set on colorful, stylized illustrations on a double-page spread. The layouts are varied, with close-ups and vignettes as well as maps and broad river scenes. There is interesting use of shadow and texture. The people shown are racially diverse. At the center of the book, a foldout map of the continents of the world shows all the rivers described. Sadly, the index doesn’t include them all. The text may be challenging for some readers, but the presentation has plenty of browser appeal. There’s an extensive list of sources, all available on the internet.
An intriguing package for curious readers that both celebrates and informs. (Nonfiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-912920-26-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: What on Earth!
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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