A solidly researched account of a long-ago tragedy.
A lightly dramatized view of life in the ancient settlements near Mt. Vesuvius and the devastating eruption of 79 C.E. that covered them beneath ash and rock.
Despite the title and one scene of a few dazed survivors wandering over an ashy plain, this book is more about the catastrophe’s course and victims than its aftermath. Waters sets the stage with a general picture of a typical day in Pompeii for a small cast of actual residents—some enslaved and anonymous, others whose names and occupations were preserved either in the physical record or the long letter written decades later by Pliny the Younger, an eyewitness. Along with simplified elevated and subsurface maps paired with an explanation of the geological processes at work, the account offers a detailed replay of the eruption’s successive explosions of pumice and ash, pyroclastic flows of rock, and clouds of toxic gas. Centuries later, interest in the long-undisturbed site was sparked by an early discovery of artifacts in 1592; systematic excavations began in 1748 and continue to this day, with much yet to be uncovered. In the stodgy illustrations, light- and dark-skinned figures in increasingly smudged ancient dress peer worriedly toward the volcano’s slopes and lament as dark clouds descend. In a final scene, modern people wander about blocky, clean-looking ruins taking photos and selfies. In a closing source note, the author carefully distinguishes fact from invention in his tale.
A solidly researched account of a long-ago tragedy. (timelines, glossary) (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9780711279254
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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
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
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