A simple but effective appreciation.
The activities of a young brown bat over his first summer on his own serve as introduction to the most widespread bat species in the U.S.
Pringle weaves information about the lives of these misunderstood mammals into his imagined-from-facts tale of “Otis,” named for his species, Myotis lucifugus. As always, this veteran science writer mostly avoids anthropomorphization, describing actions with lively language that’s fun to read aloud: “Otis zigs and zags, flutters and dives, hovers and swoops, dips and swerves….He is finding, chasing, catching, and eating insects.” To begin, there’s a flashback to the bat’s puphood, nursing from his mother. The story proceeds with a night of hunting and a detailed explanation of how Otis catches insects in flight. He meets prey whose ability to hear ultrasound clicks helps them escape and a predator, an owl, that he avoids. After the summer feeding, Otis flies far to join others in a cave, mate (mentioned, not described), and hibernate until spring. The conclusion of this simple story demonstrates the importance of these bats to our lives: When they return in the spring, “Lots of mosquitoes and other insects will be in big trouble!” Appropriate vocabulary introduces relevant concepts. The species-threatening white-nose syndrome is described in an afterword for adult readers. Garchinsky’s darkly atmospheric illustrations, created with pastels and aqua crayons on textured paper, will show well at storytime.
A simple but effective appreciation. (author’s note, glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62979-601-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Budding zoologists take note.
Animals shout out their habitat names, sometimes finding striking similarities.
In a bouncy follow-up to I Was Born a Baby (2022), Fleming and Scott employ the same format, this time exploring animal homes. Wide-eyed, curious creatures peer out from their dwellings, each announcing where they live. Whenever there is a name that some share (such as nest), one of the animals interrupts to express shock: “Are you for SURE? I had NO clue!” Others (like an owl, a seal, and a gorilla) chime in: “Mine’s a nest!” “Mine’s a nest!” “Mine’s a nest, too!” A salamander pipes up: “I live in a bog.” Then a gopher pokes out from the soil, exclaiming, “I live in a mound.” A sleepy groundhog drawls from below, “My place is a burrow hidden in the ground.” The repeated (and dramatically incredulous) refrain helps anchor the story and highlights similarities. There are a variety of animals, in a variety of settings, each with its own vocabulary opportunity. Alas, the animals are not labeled on the pages, but the endpapers provide names, arranged by environments. Ultimately, a diverse set of tots (and their canine and feline friends) showcase the best home of all—a cozy bed, indoors. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Budding zoologists take note. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 18, 2023
ISBN: 9780063205215
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
A simple but effective look at a keystone species.
Sea otters are the key to healthy kelp forests on the Pacific coast of North America.
There have been several recent titles for older readers about the critical role sea otters play in the coastal Pacific ecosystem. This grand, green version presents it to even younger readers and listeners, using a two-level text and vivid illustrations. Biologist Buhrman-Deever opens as if she were telling a fairy tale: “On the Pacific coast of North America, where the ocean meets the shore, there are forests that have no trees.” The treelike forms are kelp, home to numerous creatures. Two spreads show this lush underwater jungle before its king, the sea otter, is introduced. A delicate balance allows this system to flourish, but there was a time that hunting upset this balance. The writer is careful to blame not the Indigenous peoples who had always hunted the area, but “new people.” In smaller print she explains that Russian explorations spurred the development of an international fur trade. Trueman paints the scene, concentrating on an otter family threatened by formidable harpoons from an abstractly rendered person in a small boat, with a sailing ship in the distance. “People do not always understand at first the changes they cause when they take too much.” Sea urchins take over; a page turn reveals a barren landscape. Happily, the story ends well when hunting stops and the otters return…and with them, the kelp forests.
A simple but effective look at a keystone species. (further information, select bibliography, additional resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8934-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf
