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 low-key but heartfelt call to appreciate the Earth’s unspoiled places.
An album of natural habitats currently being threatened by human activity.
For each of 13 select environments, including “Arctic,” “Deep sea,” “Moorland,” and “The Outback,” the Danish illustrators create a broad landscape view with plenty of native flora and fauna either openly visible or peering from partial concealment. Matte colors and flat planes make for striking compositions; the lack of modeling and depth serve to grant flora and fauna equal weight in readers’ eyes. With the names of most (not all, oddly) of the wildlife present printed in italics to create links with the art, McAllister captures the character of each setting in measured free verse: In a “Rainforest,” for instance, “Lush leaves searching for a glimmer in the gloom” are the “Haunt of mighty gorilla, poisonous frog, / And slithering python,” while on the “Prairie,” “nature plays the drama queen— / Swift in anger to curse with drought, / Blast a scouring wind, / Spin a fury of tornadoes.” The author saves her message for a closing section, in which she notes how each habitat is shrinking due to human use, pollution, or climate change. She then closes by urging readers to conserve energy, recycle, and generally care for the planet. “Explore it, protect it, love it. / Our Earth is a wonderful wild world.”
A low-key but heartfelt call to appreciate the Earth’s unspoiled places. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-84780-966-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This view into Procter’s brief life connects her early passion for reptiles with her innovative career combining scientific...
Valdez introduces Joan Procter, whose lifelong love of reptiles yielded a career at London’s Natural History Museum and the London Zoo.
Avid for reptiles from childhood, Joan received a crocodile for her 16th birthday. First assisting, then succeeding the museum’s curator of reptiles, Joan surveyed the collections, published papers, and made models for exhibits. Her designs for the zoo’s reptile house incorporated innovative lighting and heating as well as plants and artwork evoking the reptiles’ habitats. Joan’s reputation soared with the arrival of two 7-foot-long Komodo dragons, coinciding with the reptile house’s opening. Presenting a paper at the Zoological Society, Joan brought along one of them, Sumbawa, who ate a pigeon whole and strolled among attendees. Valdez’s narrative alludes to Procter’s poor health obliquely: pet reptiles cheered her “on the days Joan was too sick to attend school,” and a later spread depicts her “riding through the zoo” in a wheelchair. (An appended note explains that a “chronic intestinal illness” led to Joan’s death at just 34.) Sala portrays stylized reptiles and 1920s-era British clothing. People’s skin tones range from stark white to various tans and browns. Indeed, although she was white, Joan’s skin varies throughout, sometimes appearing white and pink and others times various shades of beige.
This view into Procter’s brief life connects her early passion for reptiles with her innovative career combining scientific research, practice, art, and design. (author’s note, bibliography of primary sources, photographs) (Picture book/biography. 6-8)Pub Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-55725-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
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