An entertaining and informative exploration of a hidden world.
Introducing the weird and wonderful world of microbes.
Microbes (“any living creature that’s too small to see”) are things most people might prefer not to think about, despite their abundance. Some of them do terrible things, like make people sick, turn insects into zombified husks, or produce methane gas that contributes to global warming. But others help with digestion, decomposition, vector-borne disease control, and many other things that support life on this planet as we know it. Ably assisted by Wilson’s bright, expressive spot illustrations, entomologist Rice breaks down a whole host of microbes and their M.O.s. She presents the behind-the-scenes microbial influence over familiar creatures and environments (mind-controlling fungi in humble houseflies, for example) in all its sometimes gory glory, with enough detail to satisfy young readers’ curiosity as well as their delight in all things icky but not so much as to become overwhelming. Interviews with a public health veterinarian, a regulatory food microbiologist, an entomologist, and other scientists (depicted as racially diverse in the illustrations) round out the text. The peppy tone might come off as trying too hard to some, and the occasional tangents are a bit distracting, but the author’s palpable excitement for the topic makes an already-fascinating subject even more engaging.
An entertaining and informative exploration of a hidden world. (recommended reading and websites, drawing tutorial, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2646-1
Page Count: 176
Publisher: MIT Kids Press/Candlewick
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
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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