An intensive look at one breed of penguins and a glimpse of the scientists who study them under difficult conditions.
From 2008 until 2017, a scientist/author records her experiences in Antarctica as she studies Adélie penguins.
Pennycook starts as a novice researcher in the remote region, having previously worked as a high school science teacher before a grant from the National Science Foundation to expand educational outreach enables her to begin a life-changing adventure. Young readers will follow her journey each year as she becomes used to the rugged camp and her painstaking work observing, tracking, and banding penguins in the Ross Sea. Linking her research endeavors to the annual sighting of one particular penguin, Joey (identified by his numbered band), and, later, his mate, Echo, allows the slow, but steady changes in a penguin’s life cycle to fully unfold. Each annual entry details the story of Adélie penguins’ independence from their parents, growth, evasion of predators, their own breeding and child-rearing habits, their mature life, and the possible effects of climate change. Woven into this picture is the more specific account of Joey, seen some years but not others, which helps generate tension. The photos are plentiful and generally clear. The focus is on the animals and not the human scientists, a missed opportunity to further engage kids with STEM. Pennycook herself appears white.
An intensive look at one breed of penguins and a glimpse of the scientists who study them under difficult conditions. (glossary, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-943431-41-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Tumblehome Learning
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
In this glossy photo essay, the author briefly recounts the study and exploration of the moon, beginning with Stonehenge and concluding with the 1998–99 unmanned probe, Lunar Prospector. Most of the dramatic photographs come from NASA and will introduce a new generation of space enthusiasts to the past missions of Project Mercury, Gemini, and most especially the moon missions, Apollo 1–17. There are plenty of photographs of various astronauts in space capsules, space suits, and walking on the moon. Sometimes photographs are superimposed one on another, making it difficult to read. For example, one photograph shows the command module Columbia as photographed from the lunar module and an insert shows the 15-layer space suit and gear Neil Armstrong would wear for moonwalking. That’s a lot to process on one page. Still, the awesome images of footprints on the moon, raising the American flag, and earthrise from the moon, cannot help but raise shivers. The author concludes with a timeline of exploration, Web sites, recommended books, and picture credits. For NASA memorabilia collectors, end papers show the Apollo space badges for missions 11–17. Useful for replacing aging space titles. (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-57091-408-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
Striking photographs of birds that might be seen in the eastern United States illustrate this new collection of 14 poems in varied forms. From bald eagle to marbled godwit, the range is wide. It includes familiar feeder birds like chickadees, birds of ponds and shores like wood ducks, hooded mergansers and sandpipers, as well as less-common birds like the great horned owl, rufous-sided towhee and cedar waxwings. Semple's splendid photographs show birds in the wild—flying, perched in trees or on slender reeds, running along the sand and even bunched on a boardwalk. The colors are true, and the details sharp; careful focus and composition make the birds the center of attention. Yolen’s poems comment on these birds’ appearances and their curious actions. An eastern kingbird is "a ninja of the air," and “...oystercatchers, unafraid, / Continue on their stiff parade.” The mockingbird’s “Threesome Haiku” matches his triple repetition of the tune he mocks. Some of the poetry limps, making an easy point rather than enlarging the reader’s understanding, but some is memorable. Perhaps most effective is the rhythmic “Terns Galore”: "Turning terns are all returning / There upon the shore." Short sidebars add interesting, informative details about each species and Donald Kroodsma, a well-known ornithologist, has added a short foreword. This is a welcome companion to A Mirror to Nature and An Egret’s Day (both 2009). (Informational poetry. 8-11)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59078-830-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Wordsong/Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2011
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