A joyous, lyrical celebration of planetary life.
Eons ago, a collision between a rock and Earth gave birth to new life.
Krossing argues that humans exist in large part because “one cosmic rock”—an asteroid—struck Earth 66 million years ago, transforming the planet and wiping out dinosaurs, among other forms of life. She raises the stakes by directly addressing “you,” pulling readers into this story of the rock “that would reshape / life on your planet forever.” Eloquent, active language propels the narrative: “The air flared so hot that plants burst into flames.” “Yet, as the world burned, some small life-forms found shelter.” Succinct descriptions of asteroid survivors follow: “Buried roots and seeds waited to sprout again.” “Insects buzzed. Ferns unfurled.” Vasileva’s richly colored, moody galaxies are paired with images of blue skies and quizzical prehistoric creatures, followed by an illustration with the look of an undersea musical, featuring squids and crustaceans that seem ready to launch into song. The artist deftly evokes strong emotions, as in a spread about extinction bursting with ghostly white shapes of long-gone dinos pressed against a gray sky; another page depicts an adult holding up a child to the sky, both speckled with stars reminiscent of the book’s opening—the moment when your life, each of our lives, arose from stars. Krossing adds oomph with onomatopoeic interludes, from the first “TUG!” of gravity to the “FLASH!” and “CRASH!” of that one cosmic rock.
A joyous, lyrical celebration of planetary life. (more information on the asteroid, glossary, sources) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781771475594
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
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
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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