Somewhat limited in scope but full of opportunities for participation.
Fifteen animals introduce themselves and their behaviors.
After each, youngsters are encouraged to talk or act like them. Readers meet creatures that run, slither, swim, fly; they might live in a tropical forest, in Antarctica, or in a river or ocean. Each one is known for a unique, sometimes peculiar, habit. The Table of Contents provides a list of antics to come: howl like a wolf, slide like a penguin, sing like a whale. Many animals will be recognizable to children, but one or two may be unfamiliar, such as the bowerbird, which builds an elaborate nest, decorates it with found objects, and dances and sings to lure a prospective mate. Critters are captured in rich, matte colors; environments are somewhat representational, such as the acid-yellow desert the rattlesnake occupies. In the concluding section of each brief chapter, one or two members of a diverse cast of children demonstrate the activities that emulate the animal in question. Some of these are easier to enact than others (some require a great deal of room and water), but wild things who learn best by doing will appreciate the imaginative play. Serious naturalists will regret the absence of standardized facts, such as habitat/region and size, as well as suggestions for additional reading, but this is all about the action. As a bonus, masks can be downloaded from the publisher’s website.
Somewhat limited in scope but full of opportunities for participation. (Nonfiction. 5-8)Pub Date: March 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-61212-905-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
An attractive addition to settings where Wolf Island (2017) and A Bear’s Life (2017) have been popular.
Seals and sea lions shelter in a protected area of the Great Bear Sea, safe from stormy weather and prowling orcas.
McAllister, a photographer with more than 20 years of experience in the temperate rainforest along Canada’s Pacific coast, again teams up with Canadian journalist Read. This third in their series for younger readers uses McAllister’s photographs to illustrate a slim storyline about seals, sea lions, and other creatures who take cover from a storm in rocky areas larger animals can’t penetrate. Striking images, both above and under the water, show wide-eyed seals and the larger sea lions (but not the sea otters also mentioned). Later, when the storm is over, a group of orcas appears, circling around the entrance. In the clear, sunlit water, they can see the smaller mammals, but they can’t reach them. Kelp and other underwater vegetation provide a leafy backdrop to the scene. After the orcas move on, a final spread looks up at a group of seals on a barnacle-covered rock, once again comfortable in their world. Able readers who want to know more about this underwater world will enjoy The Great Bear Sea (2013), by the same team.
An attractive addition to settings where Wolf Island (2017) and A Bear’s Life (2017) have been popular. (Informational picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1267-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
Illuminating, of course—and also a good deal of fun.
“Met-a-more-for-WHAT?” A stern instructor delivers life-cycle information to a class of wide-eyed firefly larvae.
Eventually even pulling a pair of class cutups to attention, the teacher—an adult rather oddly got up in a military uniform in Salcedo’s cartoon illustrations—lays down the (natural) law from “You have four different life cycle stages from when you’re an egg until you’re an adult!” to “As an adult firefly, you have just one job.” Supplementing the lecture with definitions and specific details in frequent side notes (“Finding a Mate 101”), the author covers diet, body parts, bioluminescence, molting, avoiding predators (notably cannibalistic fireflies of the Photuris genus and “giants” wielding jars with screw-top lids), and other topics. Following the teacher’s annoyed “What do you mean you have questions? I only have about 30 seconds left to live,” Foote appends follow-up pages of photos and further facts. She has her finger on the pulse of her audience, informing them of the firefly larva’s appealingly icky dining habits (liquefying its prey with poison) and realistically depicting a moment of near-total distraction when the young students delightedly repeat “bum” before being corrected by their teacher (“Grow up, larvae! It’s your flashing ABDOMEN”).
Illuminating, of course—and also a good deal of fun. (glossary, websites) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943147-32-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: The Innovation Press
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
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