An engaging account of scientific observation and experimentation for kids.
Pattison’s latest educational picture book in her Moments in Science series features magnets, magnetism, and the story of pioneering physician and physicist William Gilbert (1544–1603).
Gilbert wondered about the mysteries of compasses, and used the scientific method to investigate them, beginning with two queries: “Mystery #1: Why does the compass needle always point north? Mystery #2: Why does the compass needle dip toward Earth?” Pattison details the scientist’s 18-year process to collect and learn about “lodestones, or natural magnets.” Gilbert found that many common magnet myths were untrue—diamonds can’t magnetize iron, for instance—and his experiments confirmed other beliefs, including that “Magnets have a north pole and a south pole…where the magnetic pull is the strongest.” Pattison’s clear explication of magnets integrates facts into a story format that children will easily comprehend; a two-page illustration of a horseshoe magnet ably defines and explains it, and Pattinson’s choice to highlight both myths and facts is effective. Pattison also clearly states Gilbert’s mission at the start with the aforementioned numbered mysteries. Backmatter includes additional information for inspired youngsters. Willis’ colorful, detailed illustrations complement the text beautifully with visual representations of complex concepts. The images include a bit of whimsy, as well; notably, a dog appears in illustrations throughout.
An engaging account of scientific observation and experimentation for kids.Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781629442457
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Mims House
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Enticing and eco-friendly.
Why and how to make a rain garden.
Having watched through their classroom window as a “rooftop-rushing, gutter-gushing” downpour sloppily flooded their streets and playground, several racially diverse young children follow their tan-skinned teacher outside to lay out a shallow drainage ditch beneath their school’s downspout, which leads to a patch of ground, where they plant flowers (“native ones with tough, thick roots,” Schaub specifies) to absorb the “mucky runoff” and, in time, draw butterflies and other wildlife. The author follows up her lilting rhyme with more detailed explanations of a rain garden’s function and construction, including a chart to help determine how deep to make the rain garden and a properly cautionary note about locating a site’s buried utility lines before starting to dig; she concludes with a set of leads to online information sources. Gómez goes more for visual appeal than realism. In her scenes, a group of smiling, round-headed, very small children in rain gear industriously lay large stones along a winding border with little apparent effort; nevertheless, her images of the little ones planting generic flowers that are tall and lush just a page turn later do make the outdoorsy project look like fun.
Enticing and eco-friendly. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 12, 2024
ISBN: 9781324052357
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Bruce Goldstone’s Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard.
Rotner follows Hello Spring (2017) with this salute to the fall season.
Name a change seen in northern climes in fall, and Rotner likely covers it here, from plants, trees, and animals to the food we harvest: seeds are spread, the days grow shorter and cooler, the leaves change and fall (and are raked up and jumped in), some animals migrate, and many families celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. As in the previous book, the photographs (presented in a variety of sizes and layouts, all clean) are the stars here, displaying both the myriad changes of the season and a multicultural array of children enjoying the outdoors in fall. These are set against white backgrounds that make the reddish-orange print pop. The text itself uses short sentences and some solid vocabulary (though “deep sleep” is used instead of “hibernate”) to teach readers the markers of autumn, though in the quest for simplicity, Rotner sacrifices some truth. In several cases, the addition of just a few words would have made the following oversimplified statements reflect reality: “Birds grow more feathers”; “Cranberries float and turn red.” Also, Rotner includes the statement “Bees store extra honey in their hives” on a page about animals going into deep sleep, implying that honeybees hibernate, which is false.
Bruce Goldstone’s Awesome Autumn (2012) is still the gold standard. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3869-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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