Visual drama paired to a substantial informational load.
A pop-up introduction to the extinct ancestors of Ernest the guinea pig, Flossy the Siamese cat, and five more domesticated cuties.
Filling in the spaces around Love’s fetching portraits of wild and domestic modern creatures, paleontologist Lomax natters on about the main types and characteristics of cats, dogs, fish, rodents, and other familiar animal families. This information appears on the outer leaves of each double-page spread, but the stars of the show are the pop-up figures that rear dramatically with each lift of a gatefold. Who lies at the far end of Lucky the parakeet’s ancestral line? Velociraptor! Bubbles the goldfish? Jurassic leviathan Leedsichthys! Jasper the little corn snake? Wait for it…Titanoboa!—depicted casually crushing a prehistoric crocodile for a snack. Except for cat-sized Sifrhippus, earliest known ancestor of Pippa the horse, the selected progenitors assume thrillingly predatory poses as they hover over further descriptive notes and smaller images of both fossil finds and contemporary flora and fauna. Whether today’s pets would kill and/or eat us given the chance may be a matter for debate…but as for their predecessors, readers will come away with no such doubts.
Visual drama paired to a substantial informational load. (Informational pop-up picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Sept. 14, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1714-8
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Resplendent.
In glittering, chitinous splendor, 59 insects, from an elegantly dappled Mexican dobsonfly to an 8-inch Macleay’s spectre pose for close-ups in this eye-widening photo gallery.
Arranged in no particular order and enlarged to roughly the same size, the cast of beetles, bugs, ants, mantids and caterpillars all seems to be sitting directly on the plain white pages, with pale shadows added and the occasional twig or bud for a prop. Nearly all not only bear vividly colored patterns or coats of shimmering armor, but display as astonishing an array of exotic forms as ever was—these bugs are decked out with baroque spikes, palps, antennae and other features. Worek supplies common and scientific labels for all this eye candy, as well as enough information on each subject’s size, diet, geographical range and life cycle to please even larval entomologists.
Resplendent. (index) (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-77085-235-8
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2013
Equally suitable for quick dips or lengthy dives, this gallery of ocean dwellers will attract schools of newly fledged readers.
Grouping her profiles by ocean (but noting wider distribution where appropriate), Hughes introduces 33 creatures or types of creature. These range from krill to blue whale, stony coral to Atlantic puffin and “deepsea anglerfish.” Coupled to big, bright nature photos, the captions, fact boxes and short passages of narrative present accurate, basic information about size, range, diet, common habitat, physical characteristics and even sounds in simply phrased, easily digestible morsels printed in several sizes and weights of type. The author uses several reinforcement techniques to help readers retain what they’ve learned. She repeats terms like “sessile” and “phytoplankton” that were defined in context earlier and asks questions that draw connections or spark reflection: “What is the tiniest kind of food that you eat?” Moreover, she closes with a spread of enrichment activities, a couple of websites for further information and an easy review quiz. Substantial but never heavy, this is likely to float to the top of any young naturalist’s reading list. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1368-4
Page Count: 128
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
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