Both important and breathtakingly beautiful.
We are all part of the vast universe, and many of its elements, large and small, are within us. It “showers [us] with gifts.”
The team that is responsible for previous works of philosophical science (You Are Stardust, 2012; Wild Ideas, 2015) takes on yet another huge concept. Beginning with water from rain that provides fresh drinking water and oxygen supplied by plants, then winding through the complex ecosystem that sustains and protects life on our planet, Kelsey provides examples and explanations of how we are all connected: to microorganisms, insects, algae, soil, and every living plant and creature, all of which affect everything in our bodies and everything we do. Children might find some of the scientific material hard to grasp, but it is all elegantly presented in soaring, vivid language that is not a bit condescending. The second-person address posits a singular reader, directly addressed in a conversational tone, and yet emphasizes that every individual has the same connections. Each bit of information is paired with appropriate scenes from Kim’s exquisite, intricate dioramas. Double-page spreads depict children of varying races flying, floating, even cavorting with animals and plants of land and sea in fantastical, colorful settings that also contain carefully constructed realistic elements. Endpapers present smaller, framed versions of the dioramas and invite readers to examine them closely.
Both important and breathtakingly beautiful. (Informational picture book. 5-12)Pub Date: April 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77147-315-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
A breezy blast of dino facts.
Intrepid children share meals with a gallery of dinosaurs, from towering T. Rex to a chicken-sized Shuvuuia.
Blithely blowing past the fact that all the dinosaurs here are carnivores who would probably have regarded their human guests as menu items (except perhaps the small and insectivorous Ambopteryx), Morales incorporates stock images of toothy prehistoric predators into cartoon scenes featuring a diverse cast of young people, including one who uses a wheelchair, ready to chow down on steak, seafood, and more. Markle dishes up platefuls of basic facts about each dinosaur, including sizes and hunting styles, which she spices up with colorful commentary: “Utahraptor was a Super Stabber Raptor!” “Imagine what a BIG mouth full of sharp teeth [Spinosaurus] had!” In keeping with the general predator vs. prey vibe, she also urges readers to enjoy the “beast feast” in active ways…“on the go” with Microraptor, for example, or snatching “fast food” with agile Velociraptor. This prehistoric plat-du-jour is capped with further “Fun Facts!” (scientists think that Carnotaurus waved its tiny arms to attract a mate, for instance) plus a timeline and an explanation of how dinosaur hips differ from reptilian ones; readers will also learn what made carnivorous dinosaurs such successful hunters.
A breezy blast of dino facts. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781338858730
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A solid worker for any library collection, but this wouldn’t make it as the queen
A green-themed instructive read, this will have nature enthusiasts buzzing.
The cover tagline is “Explore, create, and investigate!” and that’s what young environmentalists may be influenced to do after working with this hybrid biology-STEM-craft-trivia offering. It combines educational tips with bee-themed activities that vary from scientific experiments (one encourages kids to observe what colors bees like best) to such crafts as “Make a Fuzzy Bumble Bee.” Quigley attempts to capture everything bee-related in this offering, and that all-in approach may overwhelm casual readers. Bee-themed poetry and Thai honeybee folklore intermingle with housing suggestions for bumblebees and recipes for seed bombs. Librarians and educators may find the book most inspiring, as swarms of bee-themed lesson plans and bulletin boards for the pre-K crowd fly off the page. An index and glossary make up the backmatter, but a pronunciation guide and list of further readings and citations would have sweetened the text. Morgan’s digital illustrations are bright and attractive, but readers may wish there were labels identifying specific flower names and geographic locations. For example, the map of “Bees Around the World” is more of a geographic suggestion that actual cartography. Morgan’s attempts to hint at diversity among the human characters are fair but limited—in a book this colorful, having only two skin tones seems uninspired.
A solid worker for any library collection, but this wouldn’t make it as the queen . (Nonfiction. 5-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68297-149-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: QEB Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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