While perhaps not the most boisterous telling of this tale, it will nevertheless sweep readers away.
Designer Henry’s authorial debut explores the 18th-century invention of the hot air balloon.
Joseph-Michel Montgolfier, a Frenchman, had always found the mechanics of the world fascinating. One day, some of his papers drifted into his fireplace, and to his surprise, he noticed that the smaller pieces were rising above the flames. He realized that if the gas released by the fire had the ability to lift paper, it might be able to carry other things as well. He set about testing his hypothesis, and, with his brother Jacques-Étienne, he crafted “the world’s first flying machine”: a hot air balloon they called an “aerostat.” When Louis XVI got wind of their invention, he requested a demonstration, and the brothers set about planning, fitting the outside of their balloon with ornamentations fit for a king. When the day arrived, they famously sent a rooster, a duck, and a sheep up in their balloon, hosting for both the king and many French citizens the first-ever public demonstration of a hot air balloon. Henry’s narration is straightforward but engaging. The illustrations, rendered digitally, use a slightly dusty color palette that combines with such design elements as ornate golden frames in closing text boxes to nicely evoke the setting and era (all humans depicted are white). Backmatter includes a bibliography, list of further reading, and timeline of flight.
While perhaps not the most boisterous telling of this tale, it will nevertheless sweep readers away. (Informational picture book. 5-10)Pub Date: Aug. 7, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2360-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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
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