Heartfelt but uneven advice.
A guidebook to help children through troubled times.
This well-intentioned, ambitious book falters in attempts to guide caregivers in conversations with young children. Its failures arise in part from presenting three Western children (two of whom appear white and one who seems to be a girl of color) as the presumed stand-ins for readers. They are shown in watercolor vignettes reading newspapers and smartphones and talking to one another; these illustrations are juxtaposed with photographs of real people enduring real tragedies, which the text states can arise from human error, nature, and intentional, human acts of terror. Such distinctions are fraught since, for example, Hurricane Katrina is described as a “natural disaster,” but historical analysis points to human error and negligence as compounding its tragic impact. Humanity’s impact on climate change as a force behind natural disasters is likewise omitted. Furthermore, in contrast with the illustrated children, many if not most photos (they are uncaptioned) depict people of color in non-Western settings, giving the false impression that tragedies happen elsewhere, to others. Finally, text on closing pages that seeks to find meaning in tragedy may be read as romanticizing it with lines such as, “Perhaps tragedies happen to bring people together,” and “Whenever something negative happens, there is a deep lesson in it” (quoting inspirational guru Eckhart Tolle). Yes, it’s important to “look for the helpers” (backmatter quotes Fred Rogers), but what about dismantling systems that drive humanity toward so many tragedies?
Heartfelt but uneven advice. (Nonfiction. 4-10)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1784-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude.
A deceptively simple, visually appealing, comprehensive explanation of volcanoes.
Gibbons packs an impressive number of facts into this browsable nonfiction picture book. The text begins with the awe of a volcanic eruption: “The ground begins to rumble…ash, hot lava and rock, and gases shoot up into the air.” Diagrams of the Earth’s structural layers—inner and outer core, mantle, and crust—undergird a discussion about why volcanoes occur. Simple maps of the Earth’s seven major tectonic plates show where volcanoes are likeliest to develop. Other spreads with bright, clearly labeled illustrations cover intriguing subtopics: four types of volcanoes and how they erupt; underwater volcanoes; well-known volcanoes and historic volcanic eruptions around the world; how to be safe in the vicinity of a volcano; and the work of scientists studying volcanoes and helping to predict eruptions. A page of eight facts about volcanoes wraps things up. The straightforward, concise prose will be easy for young readers to follow. As always, Gibbons manages to present a great deal of information in a compact form.
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4569-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle.
Through many types of weather and the different seasons, water tells readers about its many forms.
“Sometimes I’m the rain cloud / and sometimes I’m the rain.” Water can make rainbows and can appear to be different colors. Water is a waterfall, a wave, an ocean swell, a frozen pond, the snow on your nose, a cloud, frost, a comet, a part of you. Throughout, Paterson’s rhyming verses evoke images of their own: “Soon the summer sun is back / and warms me with its rays. / I rise in rumbling thunderheads / like castles in the haze,” though at times word order seems to have been chosen for rhyme rather than meaning (“In fall I sink into a fog / and blanket chilly fields, / with pumpkins touched by morning frost / the harvest season yields”). Backmatter includes a diagram of the water cycle that introduces and describes each step with solid vocabulary, including “Collection” as a step in the process; “The Science Behind the Poetry,” which unpacks some of the poetic language and phrases; some water activities and explorations; conservation tips; and a list of other books from the publisher about water. Paterson’s full- and double-page–spread illustrations are just as magical as his verse, showing water in its many forms from afar and close up. Few people appear on his pages, but the vast majority of those are people of color.
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-58469-615-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dawn Publications
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
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