An enchanting work that will delight young readers and undoubtedly spur requests for Caribbean summer vacations.
Another triumph for two masters of picture-book nonfiction.
Having taken readers everywhere from the rainforest to the desert, it was only a matter of time before this dynamic author-illustrator pair invited us somewhere even more tropical. To say that the experience was worth the wait is an understatement. This latest installment of the bestselling series features a brown-skinned father and child as guides into the vibrant world of the coral reef. The book is a harmonious marriage of text and illustration; Neal has composed a symphony of color that makes for utterly immersive settings that also offer opportunities to learn more. As schools of blue tangs swirl and dance in concentric circles around bright red coral, the effect is so lush that even the Little Mermaid would long to return to the sea. Messner’s perfectly chosen prose advances the story, introducing the protagonist to various nooks and crannies of the reef while allowing readers to feel the sensations of floating, diving, and breathing underwater as they turn the pages. Taking youngsters to the inky depths alongside great barracudas and spotted eagle rays, then back to the water’s surface in time for a breathtaking sunset, this engaging book renders the reef mesmerizing.
> An enchanting work that will delight young readers and undoubtedly spur requests for Caribbean summer vacations. (author’s note, more information on the animals featured) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9781797225357
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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