An engaging if disappointingly imperfect introduction to animals and (some of) the foods they eat.
White and Page introduce a variety of animals in this playful informational picture book.
Each color is allotted two double-page spreads, citing four animals that eat a particular color of food before naming a fifth that does not: “Who eats orange?” Rabbits and chickens do. “Who else eats orange? / Goats. // Pigs. / Gorillas too. Gorillas? No! Gorillas don’t eat orange. They eat….” That fifth animal acts as a transition to the next color and set of animals: “[Gorillas eat] Green. Who else eats green? / Giraffes in savannas do.” Observant readers will note that most animals in a color grouping are from a particular habitat, and the fifth animal is always the exception. Page’s digitally rendered illustrations are realistic and inviting, with each animal featured against a stark white background, staring out at readers. White’s text doesn’t name the foods, only the animals and colors, leaving space for readers or listeners to independently interpret the illustrations. The repetition in White’s text encourages pattern recognition and sets readers up for engaging surprises. Organized by color/habitat, a double-page spread of backmatter gives further details on both the animals and foods highlighted. Habitats include ocean, forest, rainforest, tundra, farm, and, unfortunately, the broad continent of Africa. The inclusion of Africa rather than another habitat or biome perpetuates the common idea that the African continent is monolithic, with interchangeable countries and, in this case, a consistent habitat. In another notable misstep, among the red foods eaten by ocean creatures is a bright-red lobster—a color displayed only after they are cooked.
An engaging if disappointingly imperfect introduction to animals and (some of) the foods they eat. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0408-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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