Ideal for middle school classrooms and any marine science enthusiast.
Water covers more than 70 percent of the Earth and provides plenty of opportunity for scientific exploration and investigation.
The subtitle phrase “our watery world” is more apt than the title, as this comprehensive survey encompasses both fresh- and saltwater environments. With their complementary skills and experiences—animal care and science writing—this husband-and-wife team have produced a fact-filled introduction to the world of science knowledge about oceans, rivers, and lakes, accompanied by engaging hands-on activities that work well in both classroom and home environments to parallel formal lessons. An introductory chapter, “Getting to Know the Marine Environment,” is followed by chapters on coastal communities, the open sea, deep-sea diving, and freshwater bodies. Concluding chapters discuss the connections among and threats to these ecosystems as well as ways readers can make a difference, today and as they choose careers. Each chapter includes cross-curricular activities ranging from arts and crafts and poetry to experiments and group games. The clear exposition is straightforward and logically organized, densely filled with information but pleasingly broken up by text boxes and photographs on almost every page. The material is accurate and up-to-date; the marine scientists profiled vary in sex and ethnicity. Sadly, the trade paper binding is not likely to stand up to repeated library use.
Ideal for middle school classrooms and any marine science enthusiast. (glossary, resources, selected bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-16)Pub Date: June 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-61373-536-7
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Just another fabulously wealthy high school dropout role model.
Bland, standard-issue profile of a (now) 26-year-old Internet entrepreneur.
Citing only previously published sources, the author retraces Karp’s rocketlike rise from disaffected student and teenage computer nerd to chief architect of Tumblr. Since he hasn’t really done much, aside from leaving school early, spending a few months in Japan and then making a zillion dollars since 2007 with his microblogging platform, the narrative is largely an eye-glazing tally of internships, business associates, awards and dizzying statistical milestones. Kenney neglects to analyze Tumblr’s innovations, online community or general context—or for that matter, even to explain the origins of “tumblelog,” from which the platform’s name is derived. Her insights into Karp’s character are limited to mentions of idols Steve Jobs (extolled for his “keynotes”) and Willy Wonka and his habit of carrying a paper notebook because “[being] on computers all the time makes me feel gross.” Many of the color photos are space-filler views of city skylines or the outsides of buildings.
Just another fabulously wealthy high school dropout role model. (endnotes, bibliography, index) (Biography. 10-13)Pub Date: May 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4677-1285-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
Readers who took these plants for granted before may well not do so anymore.
A collection of stories that will enlighten readers on the fascinating and often tragic history behind the blue jeans they wear, the French fries and chocolate they consume, and the pepper and sugar they use for flavor.
Richardson presents brief but informative overviews of the impact 10 plants had upon history and civilization. The only plant readers may be completely unfamiliar with is cinchona, the bark of which is used to produce quinine for malaria. How cotton affected the slave trade, how papyrus enabled the wide dissemination of knowledge, how rubber revolutionized transportation, and how pepper—or the control of its trade—provoked wars are among the stories told. A superfluous fiction scenario begins each chapter and is followed by informational text about the plant, its historical background and now-familiar applications. The tea chapter is representative, leading off with “Edward” at the Boston Tea Party and then tracing tea’s spread from China and Japan to Europe, exploring its role in the opium economy, describing its processing and explaining its social significance. Color illustrations serve more of a decorative than explanatory purpose.
Readers who took these plants for granted before may well not do so anymore. (maps, bibliography, suggestions for further reading) (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-55451-445-8
Page Count: 132
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
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