Far from systematic but definitely horizon- and option-expanding.
A grab bag of occupations with at least a little career potential—some conventional, others decidedly otherwise.
Intended strictly for brainstorming, the contents are shoveled together between the covers in seemingly random order and include little if any information about necessary schooling or training, employment prospects, or income ranges. Instead, amid effervescent collages of bright photos and swatches of background color, Gerry talks up each line of work’s general appeal; in an underwhelming 15 cases she offers mini-interviews with a racially diverse assortment of actual practitioners. Her selections make up an arbitrary mix of common occupations such as teacher and social worker with others that would require considerable ambition (astronaut, brain surgeon), extensive education (astronomer, forensic psychologist), artistic leanings (woodworker), skillful self-marketing (professional bridesmaid, balloon twister), or unusual willpower (pet-food taster, competitive eater). “Librarian” doesn’t make the cut, nor does any military or (aside from Supreme Court justice) law enforcement occupation.
Far from systematic but definitely horizon- and option-expanding. (Nonfiction. 10-17)Pub Date: July 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4263-2711-7
Page Count: 260
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Like most yogis it’s not perfect—but it’s an economical and nonthreatening way to begin a yoga practice.
Clean layout, swirly page decorations, simple explanations, and a friendly tone will help this title find its preteen audience.
Reassuring explanations of general yoga principles are followed by step-by-step instructions. Each pose gets its own page, though exactly how to achieve each posture is not always clear from the picture. An energizing sequence unfolds in 18 lavender pages; a calming sequence follows on 17 light blue pages. The flow between poses is not shown. Corpse Pose is shown only at the end even though Savasana often both starts and finishes practices. Appropriate cautions are on almost every spread (“If this feels too intense…”), but postures are shown in their most advanced versions and modifications are not illustrated. Readers are reminded to do the asymmetrical poses on both sides, but these poses are not labeled as such. The English name of each pose is followed by the Sanskrit word highlighted in pink (sans pronunciation guide). Thick board covers help the pages lay flat, making the book easy to consult during an exercise sequence. Almost all the figures shown are female and white. Every five or six pages, a male demonstrates a pose. Apparently chubby kids don’t do yoga; all the images are slim. More detailed discussions of breath work and meditation plus internet resources, a glossary, and an index complete the package.
Like most yogis it’s not perfect—but it’s an economical and nonthreatening way to begin a yoga practice. (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-63322-319-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Walter Foster Jr.
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Quibbles aside, a sensitive approach to a difficult subject.
Funeral and mourning customs from many cultures and religious traditions, scientific explanations of death, and ways to think about personal grief.
Incorporating color photos, watercolor illustrations and spot art, sidebars, and legends in a layout that is sometimes too busy, this book reaches far into the past with information about burial rites in Egypt and Greece and then comes right up to the present with material about green burials and physician-assisted death. The chapter on grief posits that imagining emotions moving around a figure 8, on which “the more positive feelings are on the top part and the darker feelings are on the bottom part,” may be a more useful way for young people to grieve than the often cited Kübler-Ross model, which is linear in scope. There is advice about seeking out help from “a parent, a teacher, a counselor, or another caring adult” if young people find themselves “stuck in the bottom of the 8.” Occasionally, the book errs a bit. A double-page feature on limbo discusses ghosts, zombies, and other “undead beings” and is silent on the only recently discarded Catholic concept, for instance, and a discussion of funeral colors is accompanied by striking arrays of multicolored Mexican skulls, unmentioned there or even in the short caption for a photo of Day of the Dead customs two pages later.
Quibbles aside, a sensitive approach to a difficult subject. (resources, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 11-14)Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4598-1388-5
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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