A straightforward, wide-ranging survey that should be a welcome addition to the nature shelf.
From birds, bats, and butterflies to grass-eating land mammals to whales and fish, animals migrate as their needs and the seasons change.
Gibbons draws on years of experience introducing the natural world to very young readers and listeners to explain an important concept: animal migration. Using a wide variety of examples, she explains both the why and some theories about the how. After a brief introduction, she organizes her presentation topically: migration routes; migration in the sky, on land, and in the water; and finally, how people see and learn about migrations. Each colorful spread includes exposition in large font, definitions in a smaller font, and vignettes of many different species, each pictured on a relevant background (penguins on ice floes, reindeer in a snowy evergreen forest, zebras on grasslands, etc.). Most include hand-drawn maps of the globe showing species-specific migration paths. The animals are generally recognizable and always labeled. Where humans are shown, they are usually white-skinned. An afterword, curiously titled “Let’s Get Going,” includes a variety of additional facts including a mention of one effect of global warming. While there are many titles about specific migratory journeys for a young audience, few are so encompassing. Marian Berkes’ Going Home, illustrated by Jennifer DiRubbio (2010), presents examples but does not pull back for an overall look at the topic till the backmatter.
A straightforward, wide-ranging survey that should be a welcome addition to the nature shelf. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4065-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle.
Through many types of weather and the different seasons, water tells readers about its many forms.
“Sometimes I’m the rain cloud / and sometimes I’m the rain.” Water can make rainbows and can appear to be different colors. Water is a waterfall, a wave, an ocean swell, a frozen pond, the snow on your nose, a cloud, frost, a comet, a part of you. Throughout, Paterson’s rhyming verses evoke images of their own: “Soon the summer sun is back / and warms me with its rays. / I rise in rumbling thunderheads / like castles in the haze,” though at times word order seems to have been chosen for rhyme rather than meaning (“In fall I sink into a fog / and blanket chilly fields, / with pumpkins touched by morning frost / the harvest season yields”). Backmatter includes a diagram of the water cycle that introduces and describes each step with solid vocabulary, including “Collection” as a step in the process; “The Science Behind the Poetry,” which unpacks some of the poetic language and phrases; some water activities and explorations; conservation tips; and a list of other books from the publisher about water. Paterson’s full- and double-page–spread illustrations are just as magical as his verse, showing water in its many forms from afar and close up. Few people appear on his pages, but the vast majority of those are people of color.
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-58469-615-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dawn Publications
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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