As stimulating as a blast of chicory root.
With an assist from author Paxmann and translator Michael, “Hajek has chosen to tell the stories of some of our most amazing plants, using words and illustrations to spark our imaginations.”
That’s what the introduction asserts, and the book delivers. It is perfect for browsing; open at any point, and a double-page spread offers a complete package of informative, often humorous, text on the verso and whimsical, colorful art on the recto. As the endnotes explain, all pages are deliberately treated to appear as if painted on wood. Nevertheless, the print—including colored headings and teaser questions—is easy to read. The text, dexterously translated from German, unabashedly relates the (Eurocentric) histories of Hajek’s chosen flowers. The art follows suit with its highly stylized, folk-art–inspired images of mostly white people garbed in fashions from earlier centuries. The exceptions are a graceful depiction of an Indian woman with ginger—since the root arrived in Europe via India—and tattooed people who might represent South Americans or Pacific Islanders with the pineapple. Each plant’s story is unique, but all give bits of history, folklore, and science. Some fascinating facts relate how modern science has confirmed nearly miraculous botanical properties already known and taught by generations of lay healers and researchers, as in the case of pineapples’ bromelain. There is a rudimentary explanation of phytopharmaceuticals. Other facts are simply fun: Who knew about a salt-shaker patent modeled on the red poppy’s seedcase?
As stimulating as a blast of chicory root. (index) (Informational picture book. 8-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-3-7913-7399-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Prestel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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