A wide-ranging and engaging survey.
What we see, how we see, and how eyes work.
DePrisco looks at eyes, light, and vision from many angles in this fact-filled introduction. Her topics range from the physical appearances and workings of human and animal eyes to lighting up the dark and seeing light from distant stars. She includes suggestions for taking care of your eyes (healthy eating, wearing protective gear when appropriate), eye evolution, a short history of glasses, and some optical illusions. Spread by spread, the information is presented in short, manageable paragraphs, each titled and accompanied by an appropriate photograph. These stock photos include humans of varying races. The lively design is attractive and appealing; the information is helpful, likely to answer the kinds of questions readers have. How did I get to have eyes this color? How do we see colors? What happens during an eye exam? What do animals see? Six intriguing questions (“Why do honeybees have hairy eyes?”) on the front endpapers are answered on the back. (The hairs detect wind direction.) The text invites readers to engage—even suggesting a simple activity demonstrating how a curved lens turns what you see upside down. The use of infobits will appeal to browsers, but the addition of extensive resources, a glossary, and an index makes this useful for elementary school researchers as well.
A wide-ranging and engaging survey. (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63322-376-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seagrass/Quarto
Review Posted Online: Sept. 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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