With its elegant layout, gorgeous illustrations, and thoughtful text, this book presents an interesting and focused subject...
A larger-than-usual–format picture book reveals a different side to creatures commonly considered dangerous, scary, or creepy.
There are always two sides to a story, and creatures that are often feared or reviled, such as sharks or spiders, have qualities that may not be known to readers—qualities that are cleverly revealed in this thoughtfully designed, beautifully illustrated picture book. The first verso of each four-page sequence features a striking black-and-white illustration of an animal (or insect or arachnid). This is paired on the first recto with a one-word description in a clean sans-serif typeface—for example, the word paired with the spider is “Creepy….” The page turn reveals another word on verso in the same sans-serif typeface that modifies the original description—the spider’s is “crafter”—to highlight another aspect of the creature; below this there is more explanation: Spiders have “many superhero-like qualities” and “spin intricate webs” that are “stronger than steel” for their weight. Smith’s accompanying artwork—now subtly colored, with a cozier, slightly stylized look, and placed on the recto—illustrates the newly revealed characteristic. Gardner’s text doesn’t overwhelm with too much information, just a few well-chosen facts to tempt readers into thoughtful reconsiderations of hyenas, lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, sharks, gorillas, wolves, porcupines, honeybees, octopuses, spiders, and bats.
With its elegant layout, gorgeous illustrations, and thoughtful text, this book presents an interesting and focused subject in an exemplary manner. (further reading) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-274161-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle.
Through many types of weather and the different seasons, water tells readers about its many forms.
“Sometimes I’m the rain cloud / and sometimes I’m the rain.” Water can make rainbows and can appear to be different colors. Water is a waterfall, a wave, an ocean swell, a frozen pond, the snow on your nose, a cloud, frost, a comet, a part of you. Throughout, Paterson’s rhyming verses evoke images of their own: “Soon the summer sun is back / and warms me with its rays. / I rise in rumbling thunderheads / like castles in the haze,” though at times word order seems to have been chosen for rhyme rather than meaning (“In fall I sink into a fog / and blanket chilly fields, / with pumpkins touched by morning frost / the harvest season yields”). Backmatter includes a diagram of the water cycle that introduces and describes each step with solid vocabulary, including “Collection” as a step in the process; “The Science Behind the Poetry,” which unpacks some of the poetic language and phrases; some water activities and explorations; conservation tips; and a list of other books from the publisher about water. Paterson’s full- and double-page–spread illustrations are just as magical as his verse, showing water in its many forms from afar and close up. Few people appear on his pages, but the vast majority of those are people of color.
A lyrical and educational look at the water cycle. (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-58469-615-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dawn Publications
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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