A heartfelt snapshot of a way of life.
A wide-format book in a style and subject matter reminiscent of Robert McCloskey’s old favorite Time of Wonder, this picture book describes life on an island in the San Juans, off the Washington coast.
An unnamed child of about 12 is seen waking up to the horn of the ferry, hiking through woods to get to the school bus stop, taking a field trip to the beach, collecting driftwood, catching crabs, kayaking, paddleboarding with friends, and generally enjoying the healthy outdoor pursuits of island life. Communication between an island and the mainland can take a while, and the mail truck and the local floatplanes are very important. Island residents get to experience all kinds of wildlife, from otters to orcas, and must rely on their own resources during storms and power outages. As the book states, “When you live on an island, things are different. Sometimes harder. Sometimes sweeter. Sometimes quieter. / Always magical.” Person’s soft watercolors convey this magic through a mix of close-ups and leisurely landscapes, with postcardlike insets of buildings and activities. The second-person narrative on each spread describes the child’s daily experiences, and supplemental panels give more detailed information about the natural world and animals special to the island, such as bald eagles and orcas. Both the protagonist and most of the secondary figures depicted seem white.
A heartfelt snapshot of a way of life. (Picture book. 6-12)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63217-181-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature.
In a new entry in the Over and Under series, a paddleboarder glimpses humpback whales leaping, floats over a populous kelp forest, and explores life on a beach and in a tide pool.
In this tale inspired by Messner’s experiences in Monterey Bay in California, a young tan-skinned narrator, along with their light-skinned mom and tan-skinned dad, observes in quiet, lyrical language sights and sounds above and below the sea’s serene surface. Switching perspectives and angles of view and often leaving the family’s red paddleboards just tiny dots bobbing on distant swells, Neal’s broad seascapes depict in precise detail bat stars and anchovies, kelp bass, and sea otters going about their business amid rocky formations and the swaying fronds of kelp…and, further out, graceful moon jellies and—thrillingly—massive whales in open waters beneath gliding pelicans and other shorebirds. After returning to the beach at day’s end to search for shells and to spot anemones and decorator crabs, the child ends with nighttime dreams of stars in the sky meeting stars in the sea. Appended nature notes on kelp and 21 other types of sealife fill in details about patterns and relationships in this rich ecosystem. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-79720-347-8
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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