This is not a stellar choice for encouraging children to care for their planet.
Residents from the fictional planet Globux tell of how their planet was ruined—and warn people living on Earth to beware a similar plight.
Short sentences throughout are set in black, seemingly hand-printed capital letters against what look like strips of white paper. Each verso is backgrounded plainly in a solid color, while art on each recto is detailed, colorful, and apparently computer-generated. The quasi-biblical opening accompanies a small, white-marbled ball in a dark sky: “In the beginning, on the planet Globux, there was only a small pile of rocks.” The next two double-page spreads offer more of the Creation story, with the advent of water, plants, animals, and, finally, humans. The small, detailed drawings fill up appropriately. After this, every spread details the many ways that people on the planet used and abused resources, with a recurring concluding litany: “…and a bit of earth disappeared.” Apparently “earth” is used for soil, but readers might find it odd that the word “Globux” was not used instead. Changes in the plethora of animals, plants, and human creations are unbearably subtle in the first few pages, and then there is sudden, dark nothingness, followed by the aforementioned warning to earthlings. As the destruction worsens, the palette darkens and the strips of text both grow smaller and crowd to the bottom of the page. Although the illustrations will entertain children, the text—at first dark and then didactic—is unlikely to appeal. The overall effect is of apocalypse rather than hope.
This is not a stellar choice for encouraging children to care for their planet. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-7893-3430-5
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Universe/Rizzoli
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Animated and educational.
A hare and a ground squirrel banter about the differences between related animals that are often confused for one another.
Jack is “no Flopsy, Mopsy, or Cottontail,” but a “H-A-R-E, hare!” Like sheep and goats, or turtles and tortoises, rabbits and hares may look similar, but hares are bigger, their fur changes color in the winter, and they are born with their eyes wide open. As the ground squirrel (not to be mistaken for a chipmunk (even though Jack cheekily calls it “Chippie”) and Jack engage in playful discussion about animals, a sneaky coyote prowls after them through the Sonoran Desert. This picture book conveys the full narrative in spirited, speech-bubbled dialogue set on expressive illustrations of talking animals. Dark outlines around the characters make their shapes pop against the softly blended colors of the desert backgrounds. Snappy back-and-forth paired with repetition and occasional rhyme enhances the story’s appeal as a read-aloud. As the story progresses, the colors of the sky shift from dawn to dusk, providing subtle, visual bookends for the narrative. One page of backmatter offers a quick guide to eight easily confused pairs, and a second turns a subsequent exploration of the book into a seek-and-find of 15 creatures (and one dessert) hidden in the desert. Unfortunately, while most of the creatures from the seek-and-find appear in poses that match the illustrations in the challenge, not all of them are consistently represented. (This book was reviewed digitally with 7-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 53.3% of actual size.)
Animated and educational. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-12506-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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