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
Golio examines Jimi Hendrix's childhood creativity as a nurtured progression that stoked an explosively influential expression in the '60s. From drawing, painting and coaxing the sounds of raindrops out of a one-string ukulele, Jimmy (he became Jimi as an adult) acquires a $5 acoustic guitar and then a cheap electric model, which was "to Jimmy...pure gold." Playing along with radio tunes, haunting Seattle record stores and devouring his father's jazz and blues LPs, Jimmy turns a curiosity into a passion. The author—an artist and clinical social worker—lucidly demonstrates that a path to creative excellence is not only possible for young people but self-actualizing. In a note, he writes candidly about Hendrix's addiction, offering prevention websites for children and teens. Steptoe's superb mixed-media illustrations consciously utilize dual techniques, echoing Jimi's artistic maturation. On reclaimed plywood, sketchy pastel cutouts float against brilliantly vivid, photo-collaged impasto. Outstanding in every way. (biographical note, author's note, websites, illustrator's note, bibliography, discography) (Picture book/biography. 6-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-618-85279-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Golio (Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix, 2010) produces another sensitively written, meticulously researched picture biography, this time capturing the intense ambition of the young Bob Dylan. Born Robert Zimmerman in Minnesota in 1941, Bob's coming of age as a small-town Jewish boy trod the converging paths of the folk, blues and rock scenes. Bob challenged authority by listening to and playing music that bucked his family's and community's status quo. The chance to meet his hospital-ridden hero, Woody Guthrie, forms the text's dramatic hook: Bob hitch-hiked east to connect with his hero and his own complex musical destiny. Golio acknowledges Dylan's penchant for self-invention without disparaging it; his high-road approach lends the narrative a distinct kind-heartedness. (In a thoughtful note, the author articulates his approach to teasing out what "rang true" from contradictory research on Dylan and his peers.) Burckhardt's accomplished acrylics combine a warm, Americana-soaked palette with heroic compositions: In one spread, a Woody Guthrie record rises like a sun. Quotations sprinkled throughout the text are scrupulously annotated. Well done. (afterword, sources & resources) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)
Pub Date: May 3, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-316-11299-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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