An engaging and comprehensive exploration of the physics of animal movement.
A grappling hook and a caterpillar, a pendulum and a gibbon, or lever and a turtle—these are just a few examples of tools used to demonstrate the biomechanics of animal movement. Whether it is walking, running, hopping, crawling, climbing, or gliding, thorough explanations of how animals fight or use the forces of gravity, lift, drag, and thrust to travel on land, water, or air are contextualized in ways young readers can easily comprehend. Through text and illustration, information is expertly presented, with each double-page spread focusing on one kind of movement. These are broken down into various steps that create an overall narrative, but each nugget of text is also a complete concept that takes into account a variety of nonfiction reading styles, including those that like to cherry-pick little bits of information. A conclusion sparks curiosity and inquiry by asking readers to pay attention to the animals around them and think about how they are moving and how movements differ from animal to animal, bridging a connection to their daily worlds while also tying the study of animal biomechanics to innovative pursuits such as making better prosthetics, robots, and swimsuits.
Jump, hop, or pounce on this winning, informative title. (table of contents, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77321-369-9
Page Count: 68
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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BOOK REVIEW
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. 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The devastation of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey is explained, from the storm’s origin to its ongoing aftermath, in this photo-heavy book.
In retelling the story of how a storm got so big it caused 82 deaths and billions of dollars in damage along the Texas coast, Minneapolis-based author Felix details the science of hurricanes for those unfamiliar and unpacks why this and a series of other hurricanes made for one of the most damaging weather years on record. Although it’s packed with info-boxes, a glossary, tips for safety during a hurricane and helping survivors afterward, a snapshot of five other historic hurricanes, and well-curated photos, it misses an opportunity to convey some of the emotion and pain victims endured and continue to feel. Instead, much of the text feels like a summation of news reports, an efficient attempt to answer the whys of Hurricane Harvey, with only a few direct quotations. Readers learn about Virgil Smith, a Dickinson, Texas, teen who rescued others from floodwaters with an air mattress, but the information is secondhand. The book does answer, clearly and concisely, questions a kid might have about a hurricane, such as what happens to animals at the zoo in such an emergency and how a tropical storm forms in the first place. A portion of the book’s proceeds are to be donated to the Texas Library Association’s Disaster Relief Fund.
The photos effectively convey the scope of Harvey’s impact, but while journalistically sound, this informative book doesn’t capture the fear and shock those who lived through the hurricane must have felt. (Nonfiction. 9-10)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2888-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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