Kids will make tracks to this one—and likely step up for repeat visits.
Who goes there?
Readers must guess which creatures left their distinctive tracks behind in this fact-filled book. On the verso page of each spread, the question reads, “Whose footprint is that?” and a clue to the maker of the print appears with a snippet of its anatomy—e.g., snout, ears, tail, feather, even, in one case, a section of a body. The recto page displays the print or prints with a sentence or two explaining how the tracks were produced. A page turn yields another spread and the answer: a portrait of the mystery animal and some interesting facts about its feet. A very ancient track maker is included, too. A tantalizing puzzle challenges kids at the end: “Can an animal change its footprints?” Adult readers would do well to let a few moments elapse while children ponder responses before they turn the page and reveal the answer—and another brainteaser. This charmer will hold young children’s interest and will succeed one-on-one or as a group read-aloud. It will help develop vocabulary as youngsters learn new words including “wallaroo” and “slithering.” The gouache illustrations are appealing. Tracks are large enough to be seen well (and, possibly, traced with little fingers), and their makers are portrayed along with glimpses into their habitats, with furry, feathered, and scaly charms charmingly intact.
Kids will make tracks to this one—and likely step up for repeat visits. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-58089-834-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A promising approach—but too underpowered to reach orbital velocity.
Young earthlings turn starry skies into playscapes in this first look at constellations.
On a page first glimpsed through a big die-cut hole in the front cover, Chagollan promises that stars “tell a thousand stories.” She goes on to describe brief scenarios in which residents of Earth interact with 15 Northern Hemisphere constellations. These range from Benjamin’s battle with a fierce dragon beneath Draco to a trio of unnamed ducklings who use the Swan to “find their way home.” Six further starry clusters bearing only labels are crowded into the final spread. In illustrations composed of thin white lines on matte black backgrounds (the characters formed by the stars are glossy), Aye colors significant stars yellow, connects them with dots, and encloses them in outlines of mythological figures that are as simply drawn as the animals and humans (and mermaid) below. As a practical introduction, this has little to offer budding sky watchers beyond a limited set of constellations—two, the Big Dipper and the Summer Triangle, are not official constellations at all but classified as asterisms—that are inconsistently labeled in Latin or English or both. Despite a closing invitation to go out and “find these stars in the sky,” the book provides no sky maps or verbal guidelines that would make that actually possible.
A promising approach—but too underpowered to reach orbital velocity. (Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-63322-509-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walter Foster Jr.
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
An entry-level ecology book that succeeds in imparting child-accessible information.
Young readers meet the eight bear species.
With its heavy paper, thick front and back boards, and a front cover featuring a cutout in the shape of a bear, this book is designed to attract (and stand up to) young readers. The text first lists a child-understandable bear trait (“They love to snack”) and then expands on it to explain, for example, that bears eat all kinds of food. Clulow’s double-page–spread, full-color, diorama-like digital artwork illustrates each trait by showing a particular species of bear in its habitat with accurate flora and fauna. In the case of snacking, a group of sun bears is shown fishing, gobbling berries, and raiding beehives. The bears, as well as some flora, fauna, and habitat elements, are identified with labels near them, adding to the information, although some seem obvious (“clouds,” “hillside,” “rain”). Unfortunately, all the animals are given enlarged, white-rimmed eyes—an unnecessary cartoony look that jars in an otherwise thoughtful presentation. Red medallions headed “Show you love a bear” offer information (in a tiny font) about not feeding bears, climate change’s impacts, and encouragement to do further research, among others. Published simultaneously with the same author and illustrator, and following the same format, is 10 Reasons to Love a Whale, which concentrates solely—and successfully—on the blue whale (although it has the same cutesy-eye problem).
An entry-level ecology book that succeeds in imparting child-accessible information. (Informational picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-78603-016-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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