Let the treasure hunting begin! (Nonfiction. 7-12)
There is treasure all around, and Walsh gives pointers on how to find it.
However it’s defined—pirates’ gold; buried metal discovered with a metal detector; geocaches or letterboxes; rocks, minerals and gems; or sea glass, fossils or meteorites—this book has solid advice on how to find it. Six chapters address each of these treasures in turn, discussing how to find them, equipment needed, methodologies, and some safety guidelines and codes of conduct. Some history is thrown in throughout, and a scattering of personal stories and interviews adds a personal touch. While Walsh states that the “best treasure hunters work from feelings of intuition, which means that you just know something without really knowing why,” she also points kids to local resources for finding treasures that don’t rely on intuition, and a bibliography at the end provides other informational sources to consult. While the text often highlights the state of Maine, the ideas and advice presented could apply in almost any area. Vocabulary is well-defined within the text, and full-color photos throughout show kids actively engaged in treasure hunting, their tools and many of the finds that are possible.
Let the treasure hunting begin! (Nonfiction. 7-12)Pub Date: July 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-60893-278-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Down East
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
Starting with a lonely slice of pizza pictured on the cover and the first page, Thornhill launches into a wide-ranging study of the history and culture of food—where it comes from, how to eat it and what our food industries are doing to the planet. It’s a lot to hang on that slice of pizza, but there are plenty of interesting tidbits here, from Clarence Birdseye’s experiments with frozen food to how mad cow disease causes the brain to turn spongy to industrial food production and global warming. Unfortunately, the volume is designed like a bad high-school yearbook. Most pages are laid out in text boxes, each containing a paragraph on a discrete topic, but with little in the way of an organizing theme to tie together the content of the page or spread. Too many colors, too much jumbled-together information and total reliance on snippets of information make this a book for young readers more interested in browsing than reading. Kids at the upper edge of the book's range would be better served by Richie Chevat's adaptation of Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma (2009). (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-897349-96-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Maple Tree Press
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This lighthearted, informative look at a fascinating subject poses such playfully provocative questions as "Who's for dinner?" and "Would you like some gunpowder in your stew?" and should spark interest in reluctant readers. Lloyd Kyi answers these questions in engagingly written vignettes that reveal how important fire has been and continues to be in nearly every aspect of human life. Since it was harnessed by our human ancestors, fire has been used in hunting, cooking, lighting, manufacturing, communication, religious rituals, energy production, weaponry, transportation, torture and execution, conservation and a multitude of other applications. Interspersed throughout the text are simple fire-related activities readers can perform utilizing a few common household items (only about half involve open flames; those that do advise adult help). Kinnaird's colorful cartoon illustrations complement the text's humorous tone, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the comedy inherent in scorch marks. Accessibly written and appealingly designed, the book is formatted in a way that it can be either browsed or read cover to cover. (further reading, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55451-221-8
Page Count: 104
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
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