A nifty way to help young learners see the beach through the lens of science.
Fans of the series that began with CeCe Loves Science (2018) will enjoy this beach-themed exploration.
Vivi, a girl with light-brown skin and big, curly, brown pigtails, loves to study nature, particularly the ocean. She’s especially excited when her science class takes a field trip to the beach. Her lab partner, Graeme, a Black-presenting boy, creates a wish list for them: finding seashells, hunting crabs, looking for eels, and seeing a dolphin. Their teacher, Ms. Cousteau, a brown-skinned woman with dark brown locs, leads off the adventure with a lesson on tide pools. The brightly colored images rival those of Dreamworks or Disney in cuteness and charm while also providing information. When Ms. Cousteau teaches the students about different kinds of sharks, the illustrations provide a visual contrasting the bigger and smaller species she describes. As Ms. Cousteau guides the students in creating aquascopes, her instructions are accompanied by an illustrated guide for young readers to create their own, complete with a list of materials and instructions. Equipped with a checklist, Vivi and Graeme enthusiastically explore, best practices for safe (for both humans and wildlife) beachcombing effortlessly folded into the narrative. Backmatter includes a glossary of science facts and instructions on how to create temporary tide pools. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A nifty way to help young learners see the beach through the lens of science. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-294606-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A solid, small step for diversifying STEM stories.
What does Annie want to be?
As career day approaches, Annie wants to keep her job choice secret until her family sees her presentation at school. Readers will figure it out, however, through the title and clues Tadgell incorporates into the illustrations. Family members make guesses about her ambitions that are tied to their own passions, although her brother watches as she completes her costume in a bedroom with a Mae Jemison poster, starry décor, and a telescope. There’s a celebratory mood at the culminating presentation, where Annie says she wants to “soar high through the air” like her basketball-playing mother, “explore faraway places” like her hiker dad, and “be brave and bold” like her baker grandmother (this feels forced, but oven mitts are part of her astronaut costume) so “the whole world will hear my exciting stories” like her reporter grandfather. Annie jumps off a chair to “BLAST OFF” in a small illustration superimposed on a larger picture depicting her floating in space with a reddish ground below. It’s unclear if Annie imagines this scene or if it’s her future-self exploring Mars, but either scenario fits the aspirational story. Backmatter provides further reading suggestions and information about the moon and four women astronauts, one of whom is Jemison. Annie and her family are all black.
A solid, small step for diversifying STEM stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-88448-523-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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