Robust insights into the often mind-bogglingly arduous journeys of animals all over the world.
The ins and outs of migration.
Animals move across vast landscapes, through the depths of the ocean, and through the air to get to their destinations. But why? And how? It’s a daunting subject that Brown tackles with aplomb, beginning with a friendly introduction that hints at the scale of migration and asks two crucial questions: “So why do it?” and “How does it work?” The book is organized by air, land, and sea migration, with a final section on “Navigating Change.” The first three sections detail the journeys undertaken by a wide variety of birds, mammals, fish, and other creatures on their quests to survive and perpetuate their species. The layouts are dynamic, with creative, action-packed scenes, and the information is plentiful—readers will learn that half of all birds take part in annual migrations and that salmon’s more than 2,500-km journey is so intense that 95% of them will die after spawning. Like many recent nature books, this one addresses the ways that light pollution, climate change, and habitat loss have forced animals to adapt. Brown makes clear that everything humans do impacts creatures all over the globe and also considers what we still don’t know about migration. Much ground (and water and air) is covered in 72 pages.
Robust insights into the often mind-bogglingly arduous journeys of animals all over the world. (glossary, animal index) (Nonfiction. 6-11)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781800660298
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Cicada Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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