Great, fascinating, lighthearted fun.
A highly entertaining catalog of presidential pets and other White House animals.
An apocryphal remark by Harry S. Truman observes, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Why? Because, “As the president you are in charge of the WHOLE of the United States of America,” and “Citizens might not agree with your opinions, ideas, or political party.” While there have been over 100 dogs belonging to presidents and their families, an astonishing variety of other animals have been quartered at the White House. Both Calvin Coolidge’s wife, Grace, and Theodore Roosevelt’s family had quite a few. The names of members of presidential menageries are entertaining, from Boston Beans Coolidge (dog) to Misty Malarky Ying Yang Carter (cat) to Mooly Wooly Taft (cow) to Emily Spinach Roosevelt (snake). Andrew Jackson’s foulmouthed parrot makes an appearance along with the tigers given to Martin Van Buren (they were confiscated and given to a zoo). A gift of elephants to James Buchanan never arrived, but both John Quincy Adams and Herbert Hoover supposedly had alligators. The dozens of expressive, brightly colored, shaggy, scaly, toothy creatures in McGill’s charming cartoon illustrations seem to radiate good humor and cheerfulness. Backmatter names the pets belonging to every president (only James K. Polk and Donald Trump had no animals at all) and offers additional facts. Endpapers feature black-and-white photos of animals belonging to eight former commanders in chief.
Great, fascinating, lighthearted fun. (additional facts, selected sources) (Informational picture book. 3-9)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12269-3
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
An adequate resource for entertainment, information, research, and compare/contrast reports.
McConnell compares and contrasts the different species of otters (12 river and one sea) found around the world.
After giving basic facts about mustelids, the family to which otters belong, the author presents either side-by-side or alternating pages that look at river otters versus their ocean-dwelling cousins. This can sometimes lead to more questions than answers, though. For example, on a page that describes how each spends the majority of their day (marking territory and grooming fur, respectively), readers may wonder if sea otters also have scent glands and if river otters spend any time grooming their fur. And on the page about otter teeth, readers may mistakenly believe that sea otters have no sharp teeth and be left wondering if river otters have molars, issues compounded by the inset photos that show a river otter’s teeth from the front and a sea otter’s bottom jaw from above. Other information presented looks at habitat, facial whiskers and catching prey, eating habits, fur, socializing, and raising young. Backmatter includes enrichment activities looking at various otters’ sizes and weights, adaptations, fun facts, and otters in zoos and aquariums. (Disturbingly, one fun fact asks readers, “How long can you hold your breath?”) As is consistent with this series, the photos are the stars, showcasing the similarities and differences among these 13 adorable species. A Spanish edition publishes simultaneously, as does (in both English and Spanish) a similar title on penguins, by Cher Vatalaro.
An adequate resource for entertainment, information, research, and compare/contrast reports. (Nonfiction. 4-9)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64351-978-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
A good introduction to an important pathfinder among women naturalists.
D’Aquino distills the life of ornithologist and activist Florence Merriam Bailey.
The narrative highlights salient moments in Bailey’s childhood: a summerlong camping trip with her father and brother; learning about stars and planets with her astronomer mother. Through elision and metaphor, D’Aquino links bird song to Bailey’s awakening consciousness: “She had the feeling they had something important to tell her.” Bailey’s activism was sharpened by the global decimation of bird species to supply the Euro-American millinery trade’s insatiable appetite for the bodies and plumage of birds. “People thought wearing birds on hats looked beautiful. To Bailey, those hats were the ugliest things she had ever seen.” Modernist collage illustrations contrast grayscale with bright color to emphasize nature’s paramount beauty and importance. Thus, two fashionable women, portrayed in black-and-white garb against a painted gray background, wear elaborate hats composed of colorful plumage and bird corpses. (D’Aquino sidesteps patriarchy’s profiteering role in the trend, for which women alone were pilloried.) Bailey’s tools for quiet observation of live birds—a camera, notebook, pencils, binoculars, and ears—are depicted; 10 common birds accompany their phonetic song-snippets. Other spreads distort perspective, stylize form, and celebrate the collage medium for itself, with torn-paper confetti representing leaves and clouds. Bailey herself is a paper-white cutout in patterned blue-and-white clothing, visually linked to birds and sky.
A good introduction to an important pathfinder among women naturalists. (biographical note, birds in crisis, resources) (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64896-050-5
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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