A charmingly illustrated, fact-filled journey that teaches children the power of perseverance.
Howeth’s picture book follows the parallel lives of the real-life Molly Brown and Molly Bovine.
The author sketches the remarkable lives of two very different Mollys: Molly Brown, whose story begins in 1912 when she boards the Titanic, and Molly Bovine (aka Number 469), a cow living on a Montana ranch in 2006. Brown escapes the sinking Titanic; Bovine is shipped to a meat-packing facility. Connections are made between events when Brown escapes on a lifeboat while Bovine escapes by jumping a fence; Brown becomes exhausted from rowing and Bovine tires while swimming the Missouri River. Eventually, both Mollys find rescue and fame: Brown when her lifeboat is found and Bovine when her handlers decide she has earned a place at an animal sanctuary. Van Wyk’s illustrations consist of loose lines, bold watercolors, and whimsical character designs reminiscent of Quentin Blake’s famous drawings for Roald Dahl. Howeth’s prose is both informational and rhythmic as she frequently uses mirroring language to connect the characters. For example: “Here Margaret waited / with her stunned and fretful companions, / weeping, / praying, / shivering” is correlated with, “Here Number 469 waited / with her stunned and fretful companions, / jostling, / circling, / stamping.” Bovine getting shot with multiple tranquilizer darts may upset younger children, but both characters get happy endings. Howeth delivers an informative and adventurous tale filled with strong females (of varying species).
A charmingly illustrated, fact-filled journey that teaches children the power of perseverance.Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781964934303
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Blue Balloon Books
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
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