An exciting, informative introduction to medical research, the work of Jonas Salk, and the man himself.
Portrait of a hero, scientist, and dreamer.
As a child, Jonas Salk saw things from a unique perspective. While his friends played games, he preferred to read but was called to act as a referee because of his awareness and evenhandedness. While others rejoiced at the end of World War I, he saw the soldiers who had sustained injuries. Growing up as an observant Jew whose family had fled Russian persecution, “Jonas prayed that he might, someday, help make the world a better place.” Appealing illustrations and accessible text show how Salk, as an adult, pursued the same ideals through his work as a doctor and researcher, eventually working as a young researcher to help create the first flu vaccine and later, famously, the polio vaccine. This timely, quickly paced selection is straightforward, showing the value of research, experimentation, hard work, and testing while presenting Salk’s dedication and accomplishments within the context of the epidemics he sought to control. Though the text skimps a bit on the role of trial and error in experimentation, this tale of a quiet hero is engaging and enlightening as it celebrates Salk’s accomplishments while showcasing the attributes and attitudes that led to his success.
An exciting, informative introduction to medical research, the work of Jonas Salk, and the man himself. (author’s note) (Picture book/biography. 6-10)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-525-64651-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020
With powerful art from a bold new talent, this is a probing and sensitive take on a devastating chapter of U.S. history.
“How do you tell a story / that starts in Africa / and ends in horror?”
Alexander uses multiple voices to weave this poem about a teacher who takes on the difficult but necessary task of starting a classroom conversation about slavery. Between the theft of people from the African continent and the sale of people in America, from the ships that brought them and the ocean that swallowed some of them to their uncompensated work and the breakup of families, Alexander introduces objections from the implied listeners (“But you can’t sell people,” “That’s not fair”), despair from the narrating adult, encouragement from the youth, and ultimately an answer to the repeated question about how to tell this story. Rising star Coulter’s mixed-media art elevates the lyrical text with clarity and deep emotion: Using sculpted forms and paintings for the historical figures gives them a unique texture and lifelike fullness, while the charcoal drawings on yellow paper used for the present-day student-teacher interactions invite readers to step inside. Where Coulter combines the two, connecting past with present, the effect is stunning. Both young readers and adults unsure of how to talk about this painful past with children will find valuable insights.
With powerful art from a bold new talent, this is a probing and sensitive take on a devastating chapter of U.S. history. (author’s and illustrator’s notes) (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-316-47312-5
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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