A catalyst for conversations about change.
Changes occur every day all around us.
This text leads readers to notice and seek out the many changes that are taking place in their world: An acorn sprouts and grows, clouds form, a volcano erupts. Argentine simultaneously folds in a lesson in opposites. “Change can BRIGHTEN” shows a desert with mountains in the background before and after a rain, the left one barren, the right one covered in blooming pink flowers. “Change can DULL” pictures fallen leaves and the beginning of soil formation. Changes can be small/big, quick/slow, hot/cold, or ancient/new, and they may take place above/below. An author’s note encourages readers to think about how all things, living and nonliving, are connected, defining this branch of science as ecology. Further backmatter provides more information about the various examples in the text and the branches of science they fall under (geology, botany, biology, chemistry, and physics). This is written at a higher reading level and largely uses undefined vocabulary (microbes, humus, molecules, minerals), possibly creating a mismatch between the audience for the main text and children who will understand the backmatter, though it could be a solid springboard in older elementary and middle-grade science classes. In addition, some of the facts presented are incomplete or incorrect. For instance, subduction is not the only means of volcano formation. The stock photos are well chosen to highlight the changes and will hold readers’ interest.
A catalyst for conversations about change. (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5415-8124-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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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