An attractive handbook for beginning nature enthusiasts.
A key to identifying 40 tree species found in the contiguous United States.
After an introduction that invites readers to a “tree ID adventure,” Brower, a Master Gardener, begins with a popular craft project: leaf rubbings. She then explains how to identify trees in language that the intended audience may find challenging; fundamental words are bold-faced and defined in the glossary. The author instructs readers to look closely at the leaves—their patterns, shapes, edges, and layout—and also at the bark. Then, using the table of contents as a two-part key, readers can find the group the leaves fall into (simple smooth, simple serrated, etc.) and look for the trees in that section. Spread by spread, what follows are entries on 40 tree species, from Eastern redbud to white fir. Each entry features an illustration, as well as the tree’s size and scientific name, a general description, a close-up of some of its parts, a map showing the part of the U.S. where the tree is native, the tree’s habitat and range, a fun fact, and info on its bark, leaves, flowers, and fruits. The trees include a majority of the most common in the lower 48 states, as well as the American chestnut, now sadly “harder to find.” Perhaps because the leaves, which are crucial to identification, aren’t always shown in detail, this offering feels a bit incomplete. Still, overall it will leave youngsters primed to look more carefully at trees, and readers of all ages will find plenty of sound information.
An attractive handbook for beginning nature enthusiasts. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781423668015
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Gibbs Smith
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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