Visually and conceptually idyllic.
A graphic artist’s view of a small, mixed garden’s seasonal round, enhanced by flaps, inside views, and cut-paper flowers.
In Giuliani’s composed, quietly harmonious scenes, young Plum and her little brother Robin—both depicted as solid black silhouettes—tidy up their patch after its winter sleep, then at proper times sow seeds, repot plants that wintered over in the greenhouse, water and nurture seedlings, set up poles for beans and stakes for tomatoes, then at last, in autumn, gather ripe fruits and veggies before putting the garden back to bed. The book is rife with specialized vocabulary (“involucre,” “peduncle”) that’s either defined in text or clearly illustrated. Each double-page spread is keyed to a particular moment in the season, with a large picture of Plum and Robin on verso. In blocks of commentary alongside smaller, posterlike images of common flora and fruits on and under flaps cut into natural or geometric shapes, Giuliani describes in some detail the parts of seeds and plants, stages of growth, and good (organic) horticultural practices. If some of those practices, such as “install[ing] a beehive” or pouring milk around garden borders to repel rabbits, are presented fairly simplistically, there are still generous enough funds of botanical information and practical advice in this elegantly illustrated, oversized album to fuel winter dreams and schemes.
Visually and conceptually idyllic. (Informational novelty. 6-9)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-61689-893-9
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
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
A solid addition to the climate-change canon for those interested in saving a fragile world.
Dire consequences attend the unchecked melting of Arctic sea ice.
The more the ice melts, the more the Arctic climate changes. The more that air and ground temperatures rise, the more the frozen ecosystem’s inhabitants, including plants and insects, suffer from dwindling habitats; threats to food sources; and imbalances in feeding, breeding, and migration patterns. Solid information is packed into this brief work that lucidly raises the alarm for young readers, with each spread capturing the thrilling, chilling north in rich, dramatic blue swathes of seawater set off by icy glaciers and snowdrifts. Child-friendly, occasionally cluttered paintings, some with labels, highlight polar bears and their Arctic neighbors; a spread of vignettes illustrates how changes to plant life affect wildlife. One labeled spread explains all: As seawater warms, it absorbs sunlight, thus heating more water and melting more ice. One poignant spread depicts a bewildered polar bear mom, eyeing readers and flanked by her twin cubs, drifting on a shrinking ice floe. Two human children, one brown-skinned and one pale, occasionally appear in the illustrations as well. The book ends on a hopeful note, reassuring youngsters that “we still have time to save polar bears and slow the loss of Arctic ice.” A note in the backmatter offers conservation tips.
A solid addition to the climate-change canon for those interested in saving a fragile world. (author’s note, bibliography, additional sources) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-14319-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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