A thorough, detailed compendium of most everything readers will want and need to know about being in the outdoors.
The subtitle of this book presents a hard challenge to live up to, but this guide manages it.
Divided into five main sections—“Planning and Preparation,” “Hiking,” “Set Up Camp,” “Flora and Fauna,” and “Survival”—each subject area contains chapters that impart the specific skills and knowledge needed for readers to feel comfortable and confident in the outdoors. Skills such as fire-building, finding your direction with the sun and stars, using a compass, knowing what to pack, first aid, birding, identifying plants, recognizing animal tracks, understanding geology, and many others are presented in short, engaging snippets. These extensively color-illustrated informational segments covering the geographic regions of the U.S. are followed by activities labeled “Try It,” “Track It,” and “Take It to the Next Level” that present readers with hands-on opportunities to practice their newly learned skills as well as space to write down notes. With its metal-bound cover corners, a sewn rather than glued binding, and printed rulers—in both inches and centimeters—on the back cover, this is a book designed to be taken into the outdoors and used. The writing is engagingly informative and accurate without being overwhelming. Backmatter includes a list of 101 achievements to track that will help give a concrete sense of accomplishment, boosting confidence.
A thorough, detailed compendium of most everything readers will want and need to know about being in the outdoors. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-adult)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23084-3
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Odd Dot
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Genial starter nonfiction.
Panels activated by sliding tabs introduce youngsters to the human body.
The information is presented in matter-of-fact narration and captioned, graphically simple art featuring rounded lines, oversized heads and eyes, and muted colors. The sliding panels reveal new scenes on both sides of the page, and arrows on the large tabs indicate the direction to pull them (some tabs work left and right and others up and down). Some of the tabs show only slight changes (a white child reaches for a teddy bear, demonstrating how arms and hands work), while others are much more surprising (a different white child runs to a door and on the other side of the panel is shown sitting on the toilet). The double-page spreads employ broad themes as organizers, such as “Your Body,” “Eating Right,” and “Taking Care of Your Body.” Much of the content is focused on the outside of the body, but one panel does slide to reveal an X-ray image of a skeleton. While there are a few dark brown and amber skin tones, it is mostly white children who appear in the pages to demonstrate body movements, self-care, visiting the doctor, senses, and feelings. The companion volume, Baby Animals, employs the same style of sliding panels to introduce youngsters to little critters and their parents, from baboons to penguins.
Genial starter nonfiction. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-2-40800-850-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
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