A tantalizing invitation to learn more about the least explored parts of our planet.
An eye-opening dive into the sunless but not lifeless deeps.
Setting her tone with the opening header “Weirdness All the Way Down,” marine biologist Scales highlights a select menagerie of strange-looking ocean fauna, from giant and colossal squid (which are actually different species) to bubblegum corals, E.T. sponges, and jellies called “larvaceans” enveloped in floating “snot palaces.” Beginning at the bottom, where in places the mud can run six miles thick, she works her way upward to an open “world with no edges” and finally to the nighttime surface, where trillions of copepods and related creatures serve as “climate champions” by drawing carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Oceans contain more than 90% of our planet’s entire biosphere, she notes, and just to demonstrate how much remains to be explored and discovered, she closes with introductions to seven marine denizens first seen as recently as 2022. Taking her cue from a claim that three-quarters of all deep-sea creatures are bioluminescent, Miminoshvili’s wildlife portraits glow in every scene—so brightly that reflections often give skin surfaces a plastic sheen. Still, “weirdness” definitely comes through in full finny, toothy, writhing intensity, while glimpses of the submersibles and remotely operated vehicles that researchers employ and cutaway views of hydrothermal vents add helpful background detail.
A tantalizing invitation to learn more about the least explored parts of our planet. (glossary, index) (Informational picture book. 7-10)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9780500653937
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
