The thousands of islands between Hawaii and the Philippines have a total land mass smaller than Rhode Island's. According to the author, their first settlers came from Southeast Asia thousands of years ago and remained relatively isolated until successive waves of explorers, settlers, and soldiers from Portugal, Spain, Germany, Britain, Japan, America, Australia, Korea, and China, began arriving in the 16th century. In this colorful photo essay, Hermes focuses on 15 children reflecting different cultural backgrounds on different islands. His descriptions of everyday life are vivid, but brief. Only one map is provided, with many islands shown no larger than a period and others not even represented. Still, a fascinating glimpse of little-known cultures struggling to keep their identities and maintain traditions while assimilating new cultural elements. Brief pronunciation guide; glossary; index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: June 16, 1994
ISBN: 0-87614-819-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1994
BOOK REVIEW
A prefab profile that will be outdated long before it becomes available.
A quick scan of the recently elected chief executive’s family, background, and campaign.
Between tacked-on mentions of her subject’s win (sans numbers or electoral maps) at the open and close, Sherman retraces the rise of the Trump fortune. She begins with the immigration of his grandfather Friedrich Drumpf to the U.S. in 1885, then continues to his transition from casinos and other real estate ventures (and reality TV celebrity) into politics, and concludes with his campaign. Though frank enough to mention Marla Maples and his multiple marriages, the author passes in silence over Trump’s many bankruptcies and slicker financial dealings. She even manages to put positive spins on his M.O. (“Donald understood that this hard work and ability to make deals were the keys to his success”) and his “bold and controversial” campaign statements: “He thought it was important to state his views honestly.” Those views are presented only in summary form, without comparison or analysis, and his formal debates with rival Hillary Clinton are confined to a reference to Benghazi. The account is interspersed with staid news photos, and it ends on election night with a generic comment that the world is watching to “see what President Trump will do next.”
A prefab profile that will be outdated long before it becomes available. (source notes, timeline, further reading, index) (Biography. 10-12)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5124-2596-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
A disorganized grab bag with parts that may be of some value to young stargazers.
A picture of our nearest cosmic neighbor, from violent origins to likely demise.
Aguilar, a veteran science writer and illustrator, opens with a recap of (theorized) stages in the moon’s evolution over the past 4.5 billion years. Then, in no particular order, he speeds through a jumble of lunar topics including tides and phases, the Great Moon Hoax of 1835, werewolves, moon-based festivals, and visits both fantastic and real. In a more practical vein, at least for budding sky watchers, he follows a simplified map of the moon’s near side with closer looks at 17 craters and other features easily visible through small telescopes or binoculars before closing, after a scenario of the moon’s probable end, with instructions for creating a plaster or papier-mâché moonscape and for drawing (not photographing!) lunar features observed through a lens. All of this is presented against a seamless series of photos and realistic paintings, sometimes a mix of the two. The author’s ethnography in his discussion of myths is at best superficial, and his survey of earthly history ends with the Apollo program, but his astronomy-based descriptions and explanations are clear and well-founded.
A disorganized grab bag with parts that may be of some value to young stargazers. (websites, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)Pub Date: June 11, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3322-4
Page Count: 64
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
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