An accessible, smart book that finds an impressive balance between education and enjoyment.
In Eason’s engaging debut, young readers can discover interesting facts about the wide variety of animals in the world.
The 10 animals considered here, from a chameleon and an ant to an octopus and a whale, are typically ones kids will recognize. But Eason goes into more depth to provide a science lesson and makes this book work on multiple levels. For instance, in the section about the hummingbird, Eason opens with a photo of the animal and a four-line rhyming poem, then includes a page of several fun facts and closes with an illustration that shows how the animal’s special talent (in this case, the hummingbird’s hovering, or with the frog, having a tongue as long as its body) would look if applied to a human child. The color illustrations are presented in such a way that it’s easy for kids to imagine what would happen if they were as tall as a building, as a whale is. The fun facts aren’t too challenging for kids to grasp, but they’re all compelling—“Hummingbirds are the smallest birds in the world! Some weigh less than a penny,” and “Hummingbirds sip nectar (sugar) from flowers to provide the energy they need to flap their wings so fast.” Following the animals’ introductions, a 10-question quiz asks such questions as “You can step on one by mistake, yet it’s the strongest critter for its size. Who is it?” Also included are coloring pages that match the illustrations found earlier in the book. The book is geared toward kids ages 3 to 7, but the combination of photographs, illustrations and text means that children of all reading levels will find something of value.
An accessible, smart book that finds an impressive balance between education and enjoyment.Pub Date: April 17, 2014
ISBN: 978-0615918952
Page Count: 72
Publisher: B.A. Critter Press
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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