A gorgeously rendered set of photographs and captions that will delight the family’s littlest naturalists.
An introduction to some of North America’s weird and wonderful wildlife.
Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest is the largest remaining temperate rainforest on the planet. Every spring, this diverse ecosystem becomes home to a fascinating array of baby animals, birds, and other wildlife. From the adorably inquisitive Kermode bear cub through the ridiculously fuzzy glaucous-winged gull chick to the shimmering, squishy baby opalescent squid, the youngest inhabitants of the Great Bear Rainforest are all wonderful in their own, unique ways. Nature photographer McAllister’s stunning images are paired with colorful, simple, thoughtfully designed captions stating the names of the wildlife pictured. Since the book includes land mammals, birds, and marine life, the photographs also provide an introduction to the habitats that form the rainforest’s ground, canopy, and waters as well as a glimpse into the creatures’ homes and, at times, dietary habits. The book is visually stimulating without being overwhelming, making it perfect for very young readers who are more engaged with pictures than with text. The careful selection of unusual creatures also makes it more interesting than the typical baby-animal book. Older children will enjoy the photographs but may wish for more information than the book contains; McAllister’s collaborations with Nicholas Read (A Whale’s World, 2018, etc.), while aimed at early-elementary children, may be a better bet.
A gorgeously rendered set of photographs and captions that will delight the family’s littlest naturalists. (Board book. 6 mos.-2)Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4598-2166-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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An arguable error of omission and definite errors of commission sink this otherwise attractive effort.
A look at the unique ways that 11 globe-spanning animal species construct their homes.
Each creature garners two double-page spreads, which Cherrix enlivens with compelling and at-times jaw-dropping facts. The trapdoor spider constructs a hidden burrow door from spider silk. Sticky threads, fanning from the entrance, vibrate “like a silent doorbell” when walked upon by unwitting insect prey. Prairie dogs expertly dig communal burrows with designated chambers for “sleeping, eating, and pooping.” The largest recorded “town” occupied “25,000 miles and housed as many as 400 million prairie dogs!” Female ants are “industrious insects” who can remove more than a ton of dirt from their colony in a year. Cathedral termites use dirt and saliva to construct solar-cooled towers 30 feet high. Sasaki’s lively pictures borrow stylistically from the animal compendiums of mid-20th-century children’s lit; endpapers and display type elegantly suggest the blues of cyanotypes and architectural blueprints. Jarringly, the lead spread cheerfully extols the prowess of the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, “the world’s largest living structure,” while ignoring its accelerating, human-abetted destruction. Calamitously, the honeybee hive is incorrectly depicted as a paper-wasps’ nest, and the text falsely states that chewed beeswax “hardens into glue to shape the hive.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An arguable error of omission and definite errors of commission sink this otherwise attractive effort. (selected sources) (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-5625-9
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 5, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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