A beautiful and important addition to any collection of body books.
A joyous celebration of all bodies.
In loosely rhyming and rhythmic text, this nonfiction picture book describes parts of the human body. Hands are “washing, holding, clapping, folding, dining, signing,” while toes are “rainbow, yummy, squishy, splashy.” Some entries are precise and others more conceptual, and different body parts receive different treatment. There are “eyes that see and eyes that are blind” and “ears that hear and ears that are deaf” while shoulders are “hiding in a gown” and “rid[den]…up and down.” Genitals are referred to as such, and readers learn that “different people have different kinds,” and “whatever you call whatever you have, your genitals belong to you.” Illustrations show a tremendously diverse array of bodies, including people with visible disabilities, queer and trans people (one a shirtless transmasculine person with top surgery scars), Black people with vitiligo, and people with hijabs, piercings, and tattoos. Each page shows people smiling, and there are unique depictions of loving families and connections. The extremely simple text introducing basic body parts, combined with kid-friendly yet sophisticated illustrations, allows for all different kinds of children to see themselves and their communities reflected. An afterword by the author explains the history of the original book (published in 1986) and the reasons behind the updates.
A beautiful and important addition to any collection of body books. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77321-472-6
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
So rocket science can be fun.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
If they haven’t already thought about their futures (and they probably haven’t), toddlers and preschoolers might start planning after perusing this cheerful first guide to scientific careers. Plump-cheeked, wide-eyed tykes with various skin and hair colors introduce different professions, including zoologist, meteorologist, aerospace engineer, and environmental scientist, depicted with cues to tip readers off to what the jobs entail. The simple text presents the sometimes-long, tongue-twisting career names while helpfully defining them in comprehensible terms. For example, an environmental scientist “helps take care of our world,” and a zoologist is defined as someone who “studies how animals behave.” Scientists in general are identified as those who “study, learn, and solve problems.” Such basic language not only benefits youngsters, but also offers adults sharing the book easy vocabulary with which to expand on conversations with kids about the professions. The title’s ebullient appearance is helped along by the typography: The jobs’ names are set in all caps, printed in color and in a larger font than the surrounding text, and emphasized with exclamation points. Additionally, the buoyant watercolors feature clues to what scientists in these fields work with, such as celestial bodies for astronomers. The youngest listeners won’t necessarily get all of this, but the book works as a rudimentary introduction to STEM topics and a shoutout to scientific endeavors.
So rocket science can be fun. (Informational picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62354-149-1
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2019
Only gnashnabs would cavil at this eximious display of lexicographical largesse.
More labial lollipops for logomanes and sesquipedalian proto-savants.
The creators of Big Words for Little Geniuses (2017) and Cuddly Critters for Little Geniuses (2018) follow up with another ABC of extravagant expressions. It begins with “ailurophile” (“How furry sweet!” Puns, yet), ends with “zoanthropy,” and in between highlights “bioluminescent,” growls at a grouchy “gnashnab,” and collects a “knickknackatory” of like locutions. A list of 14 additional words is appended in a second, partial alphabet. Each entry comes with a phonetic version, a one- or two-sentence verbal definition, and, from Pan, a visual one with a big letter and very simple, broadly brushed figures. Lending an ear to aural pleasures, the authors borrow from German to include “fünfundfünfzig” in the main list and add a separate list of a dozen more words at the end likewise deemed sheer fun to say. Will any of these rare, generally polysyllabic leviathans find their way into idiolects or casual conversations? Unlikely, alas—but sounding them out and realizing that even the silliest have at least putative meanings sheds liminal light on language’s glittering word hoards.
Only gnashnabs would cavil at this eximious display of lexicographical largesse. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-316-53445-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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