This shimmering tale of interdependence and survival is STEM storytelling at its best.
Zooplankton may be minuscule, but their impact is epic.
Every night, microscopic ocean dwellers travel from the depths to the surface, then back again. Hunger drives these zooplankton, but they carry vital nutrients that power an entire ecosystem. Hoffmann relies on accessible phrasing as she explores complex ecology topics; food is “far above the zooplankton’s home,” and light is “not a friend” to the tiny creatures, who rely on darkness to hide. Meanwhile, poetic phrasing—“Behold their strange and glorious beauty!”—enlivens the information and begs to be read out loud. Le’s compositions echo the lyrical writing. She employs dynamic diagonals as zooplankton make their ascent, churning curves that reinforce interconnectedness, and flat planes that anchor pivotal moments in pacing. The digitally rendered illustrations glow like delicate ghosts, rendering the animals in multihued pastels against inky, full-bleed backdrops; the effect is incandescent. With ample moments for narrative interaction, the book is ideal for school-age storytimes. Hoffmann invites readers to cheer on the tiny heroes as they strive for the surface and flee predators; a lilting refrain—“rise, paddle, and rise”—may prompt choral reading and movement. In one scene, three kids—one brown-skinned, two pale-skinned—pilot a boat through the waves. Their delight in the sea life around them serves as a tender reminder of how all life benefits from ocean ecosystems.
This shimmering tale of interdependence and survival is STEM storytelling at its best. (more information, infographic, selected resources) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9798765643464
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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