A decent conversation starter for the youngest dinosaur enthusiasts.
Meet a selection of the intriguing lizards that once walked the Earth in this introductory primer for preschool paleontologists.
Another in the series of Hello, World! science-for-toddlers books, this volume presents, in very simple form, a few basic concepts about the study of dinosaurs via their fossilized remains. The first four pages introduce the idea that scientists find the bones of long-gone dinosaurs in the ground, reassemble them, and display the completed skeletons in museums. A white female paleontologist and a brown-skinned male colleague use an assortment of simple tools to extract bones from layers of earth and sediment. A roundup of a fair sampling of dinos, presented in a series of informative, easily digested two-page spreads, fills out the balance of the book. The artwork features a broad palette of bright colors, but the blocky and crudely representational figures, though easily read, have an almost South Park quality. The dinosaurs depicted have goofy, nonthreatening smiles and awkward, oddly jointed limbs, so the scenes lack the primordial majesty that a more lifelike rendering would convey. In all, the book presents eight different dinosaurs and a few fun facts about each, covering eating habits (plants? meat?), armor, teeth, height, etc.
A decent conversation starter for the youngest dinosaur enthusiasts. (Board book. 2-6)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-1934-0
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Bright and bold, this will certainly catch the eye of every reader.
A color-concept book with a bilingual, cultural twist.
Chinese New Year gets a daring new look. A single color dominates a complete page spread. On recto, the name of the featured color in English is displayed on a white background while both the traditional Chinese characters and a romanized rendition, complete with accent marks, appear below in an inverse color scheme. A single cultural object related to Chinese New Year fully occupies the right. Here Lo’s talents shine with his renderings. The composition is simple, with the object sitting solo, centered within the line of sight. Artistic liberties are tastefully taken, with the object portrayed in a singular color that is occasionally contrary to tradition. Yet no embellishments are lost in the deceptively spare composition. This is best observed on the portrait of the teapot. Lo makes sure that no flower, leaf, or curly twirl of its details is omitted. The objects seem to pop due to the skilled shading and tricks of perspective. The background itself teems with textures, with occasional splatters of paint, bleeding edges, and blooms of watercolor that unevenly occupy the space. Vocabulary-wise, the only outlier is the use of the word “Cerulean” instead of “light blue,” which may require an explanation. A guide describing each object follows.
Bright and bold, this will certainly catch the eye of every reader. (Picture book 2-5)Pub Date: Nov. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4371-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
There’s no need to rush out for this one.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor acts as inspiration for a series of exhortations.
Taking the life of Sotomayor as a springboard, Oliver invites children to “Be a good listener…an explorer…courageous…helpful…vocal…a mentor…just…a good sport…an inspiration…you!” (The last appears over a mirror set into the page.) Bold and colorful illustrations accompany each motivational call. In some instances the author has added a quote from Justice Sotomayor as well. For “Be courageous” for example, the accompanying quote is “Diabetes taught me discipline.” The illustration shows a sad-looking young Sotomayor sitting on a table in an infirmary while a nurse injects her with insulin. On the last page there is a bare-bones summary that helps explain some of the statements. As part of the same Be Bold, Baby! series, Oliver presents other motivational calls based on the life of author J.K. Rowling, following the same format. Here, children are encouraged to “Be a fan…a friend…a rebel…imaginative…persistent…resilient…bewitching…a light…magical…you!” In neither book do the illustrations significantly aid board-book listeners in their comprehension of the concepts introduced. Furthermore, Sotomayor and Rowling will mean far more to adults than to preschoolers. However, the books could be used as a basis for meaningful if rudimentary conversations.
There’s no need to rush out for this one. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-51995-5
Page Count: 20
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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