Beautiful but, sadly, not as immersive as Chin’s fans may hope.
Starting from their campsite at the bottom of the 1,000-foot-deep Inner Gorge, an Asian-American child and her dad traverse three separate habitats until they arrive at the South Rim, 22 miles later.
Descriptions of the landscape, plants, and animals are provided alongside a running commentary of the geologic history of the canyon’s formation. Gorgeously detailed artwork captures this unique ecological niche’s amazing diversity of life. The borders framing most pages are filled with illustrations depicting the rock strata, flora, and fauna associated with the different elevations of the canyon. Small, shaped die-cut windows highlight fossilized trilobites, shells, and footprints and provide gateways to imaginative flashbacks to the canyon’s past, while a gatefold reveals a magnificent panoramic view of the truly grand canyon at sunset. In approaching his subject, Chin uses the relatively dry factual approach he employed in Island (2012) rather than the wonderfully successful fusion of fact and imagination he introduced in Redwoods (2009) and Coral Reefs (2011). Inexplicably, a guidebook to the Grand Canyon (this very book?) remains in the girl’s backpack—in effect relegating the child’s role to observer rather than engaged participant save for a few imaginary trips to the past. Despite the wealth of maps provided, there isn’t one clearly delineating the journey undertaken by father and daughter. Appended are comprehensive background notes, bibliography, and further reading. The in-depth information is easily accessible to curious readers of any age.
Beautiful but, sadly, not as immersive as Chin’s fans may hope. (Informational picture book. 6-11)Pub Date: Feb. 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-59643-950-4
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Neal Porter/Roaring Brook
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
The story feels a bit contrived, but Ada will be a welcome addition to the small circle of science-loving girls in the...
Using science and technology, third-grader Ada Lace kicks off her new series by solving a mystery even with her leg in a cast.
Temporarily housebound after a badly executed bungee jump, Ada uses binoculars to document the ecosystem of her new neighborhood in San Francisco. She records her observations in a field journal, a project that intrigues new friend Nina, who lives nearby. When they see that Ms. Reed’s dog, Marguerite, is missing, they leap to the conclusion that it has been stolen. Nina does the legwork and Ada provides the technology for their search for the dognapper. Story-crafting takes a back seat to scene-setting in this series kickoff that introduces the major players. As part of the series formula, science topics and gadgetry are integrated into the stories and further explained in a “Behind the Science” afterword. This installment incorporates drones, a wireless camera, gecko gloves, and the Turing test as well as the concept of an ecosystem. There are no ethnic indicators in the text, but the illustrations reveal that Ada, her family, and bratty neighbor Milton are white; Nina appears to be Southeast Asian; and Mr. Peebles, an inventor who lives nearby, is black.
The story feels a bit contrived, but Ada will be a welcome addition to the small circle of science-loving girls in the chapter-book world. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8599-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
A wild romp that champions making space for vulnerable creatures and each other.
A boy with ADHD explores nature and himself.
Eleven-year-old Jake Rizzi just wants to be seen as “normal”; he blames his brain for leading him into trouble and making him do things that annoy his peers and even his own parents. Case in point: He’s stuck spending a week in rural Oregon with an aunt he barely knows while his parents go on vacation. Jake’s reluctance changes as he learns about the town’s annual festival, during which locals search for a fabled turtle. But news of this possibly undiscovered species has spread. Although Aunt Hettle insists to Jake that it’s only folklore, the fame-hungry convene, sure that the Ruby-Backed Turtle is indeed real—just as Jake discovers is the case. Keeping its existence secret is critical to protecting the rare creature from a poacher and others with ill intentions. Readers will keep turning pages to find out how Jake and new friend Mia will foil the caricatured villains. Along the way, Bramucci packs in teachable moments around digital literacy, mindfulness, and ecological interdependence, along with the message that “the only way to protect the natural world is to love it.” Jake’s inner monologue elucidates the challenges and benefits of ADHD as well as practical coping strategies. Whether or not readers share Jake’s diagnosis, they’ll empathize with his insecurities. Jake and his family present white; Mia is Black, and names of secondary characters indicate some ethnic diversity.
A wild romp that champions making space for vulnerable creatures and each other. (Adventure. 8-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781547607020
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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