by Gerald Fierst ; illustrated by Leslie Stall Widener ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 10, 2017
Skip the poems and enjoy the cheerful artwork and entertaining prose.
From January’s Wolf Moon to December’s Cold Moon, a survey of moon monikers.
Each of the 12 moons is given a double-page spread that features a watercolor illustration, a couplet, and a column of text. The name of each month’s moon leads to several lively, informative paragraphs, sometimes directly related to the moon’s name—as with Worm Moon, Sturgeon Moon, and Buck Moon—and sometimes not. For example, the Wolf Moon column segues from the sound of a wolf howling to a short list of songs about the moon, then to a historical note about cosmic microwave background radiation—the “birthday song” of the universe. Had the couplets been strong, they might serve preschool readers as an alternative to these relatively lengthy passages. However, they offer little more than either stumbling near rhymes or smooth banality, as in “Pink Moon / blooms in the April sky, / promises of spring tucked on high.” Most illustrations are far superior to those in the similarly themed Full Moon Lore, by Ellen Wahi and illustrated by Ashley Stewart (2017), despite some awkwardly rendered mammals. The strength of the book lies in the choices and organization of the prose text. Even adults will be charmed by the deft combination of science, mythology, humor, and agricultural facts, though readers will search largely in vain for specific cultural notes as to the individual moons’ names.
Skip the poems and enjoy the cheerful artwork and entertaining prose. (Informational picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: May 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-945268-02-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Plum Street Publishers
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
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by Margaret Read MacDonald & Gerald Fierst ; illustrated by Kitty Harvill
by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Steve Jenkins ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 18, 2014
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Alexander Vidal
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by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Lisa Congdon
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by Jennifer Ward ; illustrated by Diana Sudyka
by Julie Dillemuth ; illustrated by Laura Wood ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2019
An adorable adventure in cartography.
An exercise of spatial thinking through a snowy forest.
Camilla the warthog collects maps. Maps of stars, New York, even the London Tube. She even owns an ancient map of her forest. Unfortunately for her, she believes all lands have been explored and there is nothing new to chart. However, with a snowy morning comes a new opportunity. When her hedgehog neighbor, Parsley, asks for her help in finding the creek, Camilla quivers with excitement when she realizes the snow-covered land “is uncharted territory.” With all landmarks covered in snow, Camilla and Parsley must use their spatial-reasoning skills and a compass to find a new way to the creek. Their trailblazing journey proves a challenge as they keep bumping into trees, rocks, and walls. But when they find the creek, Camilla will have all the information and tools ready to draw out a new map, to break out in case of another snowfall. Wood’s delightful illustrations and Dillemuth’s expertise in the matter engage readers in the woodland creatures’ adventures. In addition, Dillemuth, who holds a doctorate in geography, provides activities in the backmatter for parents and caregivers to help children develop their own spatial-reasoning skills, such as sketching and reading maps or using cardinal directions.
An adorable adventure in cartography. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3033-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
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by Julie Dillemuth ; illustrated by Laura Wood
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