Marginal given the Eurocentric fauna and static banality of the illustrations.
Originally published in Belgium and the Netherlands, this seek-and-find board book invites children to learn about different bird species and their habitats.
This uncredited translation from the Dutch opens with a two-page annotated illustration presenting disparate facts about birds, such as “robins become aggressive when they see the color red,” and “a stonechat can fly more than 1,000 km (621 miles) a day during migration.” Most of the featured birds are common to Eurasia. Every subsequent double-page spread depicts a different hyperstylized habitat—the woods, the seaside, a marsh, a city, and more—and includes a pictorial legend of birds that appear in the busy illustrations, waiting for readers to find them. The birds in the artwork are the same sizes as their duplicates in the legends—easier to spot perhaps but utterly out of scale with the people, trees, human-made structures, and each other. On every verso page is a smattering of additional avian facts and elusive nonbird elements for kids to find in the crowded landscapes. The illustrations abound with minute details that will pique children’s curiosity, from wind turbines to a blimp. Intended for elementary-aged readers, this title will appeal to kids who enjoy picture puzzles. But the overly rendered digital illustrations fail to integrate the birds naturalistically into the habitats, making the whole enterprise oddly unfulfilling. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Marginal given the Eurocentric fauna and static banality of the illustrations. (Board book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 26, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-60537-742-1
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
A worthy, if somewhat forced, venture into multidisciplinary teaching for very young children that may require caregivers to...
A generic mother bird learns to conquer the forces of physics while going about her daily chores.
In an unusual take on the well-worn topic of birds and their nests, the common activities associated with feeding and nest-building are used to teach the science of force and gravity, albeit at a very elementary level. The preface encourages caregivers to discuss the law of motion, stating that “More force is needed to change the motion of heavier objects than to change the motion of lighter objects.” (Caregivers may find themselves searching for other words to make this clear to youngsters.) Furthermore, “Earth’s gravity pulls objects towards the Earth, which makes things fall down when they are dropped.” Aspects of these principles are illustrated with somewhat dated-looking mixed-media pictures in a muddy color palette as the bird pulls worms out of the ground; struggles to find twigs light enough to carry; creates a nest with twigs, feathers, and grass; and finally lays five speckled eggs, out of which hatch baby birds. Five questions again address the physics illustrated in the story, asking about pushing, pulling, moving, and dropping.
A worthy, if somewhat forced, venture into multidisciplinary teaching for very young children that may require caregivers to do some heavy lifting of their own. (index) (Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9346-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 29, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With the possible exception of the opossum’s unlovely behind, more likely to elicit responses of “Cute!” than “Gross!”...
A wildlife photographer follows up Whose Butt? (2012) with a fresh portfolio of posteriors.
Showing no traces of fecal matter and only rarely even a glimpse of bare skin, the fuzzy or feathery fundaments on view belong to young creatures ranging from moose to mustang, cottontail to sandhill crane—all photographed in outdoor settings and all followed by longer-shot views of the whole animal, usually with a parent. The accompanying hints and nature notes are informative, if cutesy (“HANG ON! Baby opossums can hang by their tails, but as they grow, they become too heavy for upside-down fun”). In a more businesslike listing at the end, the author adds further comments about diet, range, and behavior for each, along with smaller headshots. Though any mention or image of “butts” will reliably get a rise from young audiences, overall this is more about baby animals in general than a specific portion of their anatomy.
With the possible exception of the opossum’s unlovely behind, more likely to elicit responses of “Cute!” than “Gross!” (Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-59193-783-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Adventure Publications
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
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