by Kate Rowan & illustrated by Katharine McEwen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1999
The Sam’s Science series (see Maynard, above) introduces Sam, who has a cold, and who sneezes; his mother explains why he should catch his sneeze in a tissue—a germ from a sneeze can spread up to ten yards, “as far as three elephants standing in a line.” Sam and his mother discuss how people get colds; how the body fights germs; the components of blood, including white blood cells that zap germs and eat bacteria; how scabs keep the bacteria out, and much more. While they talk, Sam imagines the white blood cells as smiling white cotton balls with striped legs, running after the toothy orange germs, the chicken pox virus has spots, while the bacteria, which McEwen shows as pickle-like and with legs, is running from the white blood cells. Rowan packs a lot of information into this useful title, enhanced by the humorous illustrations. It’s a lively and inviting introduction to colds and germs—and science—for the sniffle-prone picture-book set. (Picture book. 6-10)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7636-0503-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1998
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by Buzz Aldrin & illustrated by Wendell Minor ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2005
In first-person voice, Aldrin highlights points from his childhood that led to his dream of being an astronaut and making the historic moon landing. Coincidental details like his mother’s maiden name, “Moon,” and his favorite movie hero, the “Lone Ranger,” suggest clues to his destiny. After West Point, he joined the Air Force because “he wanted to fly more than anything.” Minor’s usual beautiful and realistic illustrations effectively convey spatial perspectives and movement, adding depth to the narrative. However, the cover design and type layout are confusing, indicative of a biography instead of an autobiography—a brief intro could have clarified it. Aldrin’s message in an author’s note avows, “If you set your sights high, you may accomplish more than you ever dreamed.” Pair this with Don Brown’s One Giant Step for a child’s-eye view on space exploration. (Flight/space exploration chronology) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)
Pub Date: June 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-055445-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2005
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by Buzz Aldrin & Marianne Dyson ; illustrated by Bruce Foster
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by Michael Tyler & illustrated by David Lee Csicsko ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2005
An earnest but energetic tribute to diversity, done up with postmodern arrays of smiling, stylized, lozenge-headed children paired to a rollicking celebration of: “Your coffee and cream skin, / your warm cocoa dream skin . . . / Your chocolate chip, double dip sundae supreme skin! / Your marshmallow treat skin, / your spun sugar sweet skin . . . / your cherry topped, candy dropped, frosting complete skin.” Tyler also urges readers to think about the commonality of “The skin that you laugh in; / the skin that you cry in; / the skin that you look to / the sky and ask, ‘Why?’ in.” Though he changes his tone and plies a verbal mallet to drive his point home in the last several verses, the earlier wordplay more than compensates—while glimpses of one child in a wheelchair, and another held by a biracial couple, expand the general theme to encompass more than skin color alone. A sonically playful, if just a bit overlong, alternative to Sheila Hamanaka’s All the Colors of the Earth (1994). (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-9759580-0-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Chicago Children’s Museum/IPG
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2005
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More by Linsey Davis
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by Linsey Davis & Michael Tyler ; illustrated by Lucy Fleming
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by Linsey Davis & Michael Tyler ; illustrated by Lucy Fleming
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