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EXPLORING THE RAIN FOREST

Name: EXPLORING THE RAIN FOREST
Author: Hans Odöö
ISBN: 0-8069-9873-3

by Hans Odöö & translated by Mirja Tornquist & photographed by Mattias Klum ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1998

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Odîî and Klum introduce themselves in the opening pages—and full-color photograph—of this book, and then embark on an exploration of the rain forest, for which they act as tour guides. The topics are arranged into short chapters—``Up the River,'' ``Snakes in the Forest,'' ``Monkey Business,'' etc. The prose is chatty and informative: ``Before the sun sets, our guides fish in the river. We consider going for a swim,'' but notice the piranhas, about which they've heard terrible stories. Readers will smile when Odîî, after describing the fish's destructive powers, mentions how tasty the piranha is for dinner. The rain forest has an astonishing range of plant and animal life, and author and photographer ably close in and comment on fascinating poison dart frogs, monkeys, and snakes. Almost every page brings a new fact for browsers, while Klum expertly highlights details in close-up shots. His choice of topics is superb; he can frame an elusive animal in its habitat, or pull back to capture a breathtaking landscape. The book glorifies the natural riches of Malaysia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Nigeria, and Borneo, and makes a bid for their salvation. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-11)

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1998

ISBN: 0-8069-9873-3

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Sterling

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1997

Categories:

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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FIRST FLIGHT

THE STORY OF TOM TATE AND THE WRIGHT BROTHERS

by George Shea & illustrated by Don Bolognese ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 28, 1997

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This is a true tale of a boy who befriended the aviation pioneers and who was the second person to fly in their original glider. No one believes Tom, a Kitty Hawk resident and reputed storyteller, when he claims to have met two men from Ohio who are planning to fly through the air. The scoffing does not subside when Tom truthfully states that he flew the glider. Over the years, the Wright brothers make trips to Kitty Hawk, each time refining their machine, until the successful 1903 flight—and Tom is always there to witness it. This entry in the I Can Read Chapter Book series seems just right for new readers: Tom's presence makes the historical incident more accessible. The tale, with its limited vocabulary, doesn't allow for much character development, but has enough inherent drama to overcome the format. Bolognese's pictures add an old-fashioned touch, with a refreshingly simple palette that warmly evokes the era. (Fiction. 8-10)

Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1997

ISBN: 0-06-024503-4

Page Count: 48

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1996

Categories:

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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THE BEST AMERICAN SCIENCE WRITING 2002

edited by Matt Ridley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2002

Year to year, this science series has become something of a treasured literary institution, and Ridley gives us yet another...

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Annual selection of some of the country’s most illuminating recent popular-science articles.

This volume, edited by science author Ridley (The Cooperative Gene, 2001, etc.), is an ideal roundup of wide-ranging, high-quality journalism: in this case, 21 examples of the best of the best, culled from the pages of the New York Times, Discover, the New Yorker, Wired, and elsewhere. While the entries are uniformly superb, there are a few stand-outs: Lauren Slater’s colorful profile of a most unusual New England plastic surgeon and his curious theories about the potential of the human body; Gary Taubes’s assault on common myths about dietary fat; Sally Satel’s caution about our eagerness to ignore race as a factor in understanding health differences between people; Natalie Angier’s compelling history, written in the immediate aftermath of 9-11, of the human “trait” of altruism. The subjects of global terrorism and the Internet converge eloquently in Julian Dibbell’s reflections on “steganography,” the ancient art of hiding messages that, today, has gone fully digital. Ridley, who clearly delights in speculative pieces that grope a bit in the dark, juxtaposes two of last year’s most provocative articles concerning climate change: Nicholas Wade’s account of Danish eco-optimist Bjorn Lomberg, who raised the hackles of environmentalists by offering well-researched conclusions showing that, in many areas, the state of the world’s ecology is not as gloomy as often believed; and Darcy Frey’s profile of scientist George Divoky, who has observed bird life at the top of the world for a quarter-century and sees plenty to be concerned about. Ridley, who cites in his prologue the importance to scientific inquiry of the expression “I don’t know,” ends with Divoky’s saga as a kind of tribute to the timeless ideal of the scientist’s resolve and human questing in general.

Year to year, this science series has become something of a treasured literary institution, and Ridley gives us yet another jewel.