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THE WATER WALKER

Name: THE WATER WALKER
Author: Joanne Robertson
ISBN: 978-1-77260-038-4

by Joanne Robertson ; illustrated by Joanne Robertson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2017

An important topic is treated with grace, love, and a smidgen of humor in this delightful, necessary book.

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A picture book that tells the story of the Mother Earth Water Walkers, a group that walks to bring awareness to the importance of clean water.

Nokomis (“grandmother”) Josephine Mandamin, an Ojibwe, loves and respects Nibi (“water”), greeting it every morning with gratitude. Hearing an elder predict that clean water will soon be more precious than gold, Nokomis decides to take action. She and other women begin to walk, first around the Great Lakes (an endeavor that takes seven years), then around other bodies of water, to highlight the importance of unpolluted water. Author/illustrator Robertson, an AnishinaabeKwe, tells her true story without lecturing and fills it with bright, effectively childlike illustrations. She writes with verve and occasional gentle humor about the need to respect Nibi and to make decisions for “your grandchildren’s grandchildren.” The humor extends to the illustrations; in one image Nokomis sits with her feet in bunny slippers, using her laptop to buy new sneakers. There is a slight storyline confusion (was it Nokomis Josephine or other women who did the walking from the four points of Turtle Island?), but this is a small quibble in a book about such a large issue. The illustrated glossary with pronunciations is essential, since Robertson uses Ojibwe words throughout, a decision that enhances the book’s substance.

An important topic is treated with grace, love, and a smidgen of humor in this delightful, necessary book. (informational note) (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-77260-038-4

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Second Story Press

Review Posted Online: June 13, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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SEA WITCHES
by Joanne Robertson & illustrated by Gal Laszlo

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BABY LOVES SCIENTISTS

YOU CAN BE ANYTHING!

From the Baby Loves… series

by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Irene Chan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 2019

So rocket science can be fun.

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What do you want to be when you grow up?

If they haven’t already thought about their futures (and they probably haven’t), toddlers and preschoolers might start planning after perusing this cheerful first guide to scientific careers. Plump-cheeked, wide-eyed tykes with various skin and hair colors introduce different professions, including zoologist, meteorologist, aerospace engineer, and environmental scientist, depicted with cues to tip readers off to what the jobs entail. The simple text presents the sometimes-long, tongue-twisting career names while helpfully defining them in comprehensible terms. For example, an environmental scientist “helps take care of our world,” and a zoologist is defined as someone who “studies how animals behave.” Scientists in general are identified as those who “study, learn, and solve problems.” Such basic language not only benefits youngsters, but also offers adults sharing the book easy vocabulary with which to expand on conversations with kids about the professions. The title’s ebullient appearance is helped along by the typography: The jobs’ names are set in all caps, printed in color and in a larger font than the surrounding text, and emphasized with exclamation points. Additionally, the buoyant watercolors feature clues to what scientists in these fields work with, such as celestial bodies for astronomers. The youngest listeners won’t necessarily get all of this, but the book works as a rudimentary introduction to STEM topics and a shoutout to scientific endeavors.

So rocket science can be fun. (Informational picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-62354-149-1

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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LOVE GROWS
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins

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HOW TO EXPLAIN CODING TO A GROWN-UP
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Teresa Martínez

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ANGULAR MOMENTUM ON HANUKKAH!
by Ruth Spiro ; illustrated by Irene Chan

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I LIVE IN A TREE TRUNK

by Meg Fleming ; illustrated by Brandon James Scott ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 18, 2023

Budding zoologists take note.

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Animals shout out their habitat names, sometimes finding striking similarities.

In a bouncy follow-up to I Was Born a Baby (2022), Fleming and Scott employ the same format, this time exploring animal homes. Wide-eyed, curious creatures peer out from their dwellings, each announcing where they live. Whenever there is a name that some share (such as nest), one of the animals interrupts to express shock: “Are you for SURE? I had NO clue!” Others (like an owl, a seal, and a gorilla) chime in: “Mine’s a nest!” “Mine’s a nest!” “Mine’s a nest, too!” A salamander pipes up: “I live in a bog.” Then a gopher pokes out from the soil, exclaiming, “I live in a mound.” A sleepy groundhog drawls from below, “My place is a burrow hidden in the ground.” The repeated (and dramatically incredulous) refrain helps anchor the story and highlights similarities. There are a variety of animals, in a variety of settings, each with its own vocabulary opportunity. Alas, the animals are not labeled on the pages, but the endpapers provide names, arranged by environments. Ultimately, a diverse set of tots (and their canine and feline friends) showcase the best home of all—a cozy bed, indoors. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Budding zoologists take note. (Informational picture book. 3-7)