Ideal for introducing young preschoolers to the web of life around them.
A graphically striking, deceptively simple hymn to pollinators.
“Because of a bee,” begins Schaefer, “a strawberry.” The first phrase appears on the verso of a double-page spread depicting stylized bees flitting among strawberry blossoms; they trail little puffs of pollen in their wakes. As each page is turned, listeners will notice that many of the bees’ beige, teardrop-shaped wings are actually cutouts through which the next spread’s beige-colored background peeks. Once the page turn is complete, those wings become the seeds of a huge, page-dominating ripe strawberry bearing the label “a strawberry.” Opposite this is printed the beginning of the next causal sentence: “Because of a strawberry”; with the turn of the page, listeners learn that the next link in the chain is “a butterfly.” Thus, Schaefer and Sanna escort their audience through a panoply of pollinators and the plants they both rely on and benefit. Among the former: aphids, hummingbirds, flies; among the latter: celery, avocados, radishes. The peekaboo effect of the die cuts reinforces the interdependence of all the players in the creation of “a feast.” Four pages of backmatter cover the concept of keystone species and the diversity among pollinators, with additional information on each animal or plant highlighted in the primary text.
Ideal for introducing young preschoolers to the web of life around them. (Informational picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 19, 2026
ISBN: 9781797230931
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
Captivating—and not a bit terrifying.
Catering to young scientists, naturalists, and Shark Week fans–to-be, this visually arresting volume presents a good deal of information in easily digested bites.
Like others in the Block Books series, this book feels both compact and massive. When closed, it is 5.5 inches across, 6.5 inches tall, and nearly 2 inches thick, weighty and solid, with stiff cardboard pages that boast creative die cuts and numerous fold-out three- and four-panel tableaux. While it’s possible it’s not the only book with a dorsal fin, it certainly must be among the best. The multiracial cast of aquarium visitors includes a Sikh man with his kids and a man of color who uses a wheelchair; there they discover the dramatic degree of variations among sharks. The book begins with a trip to a shark exhibit, complete with a megalodon jaw. The text points out that there are over 400 known types of sharks alive today, then introduces 18 examples, including huge whale sharks, tiny pocket sharks, and stealthy, well-camouflaged wobbegongs. Reef sharks prowl the warm waters of the surface, while sand tiger sharks explore shipwrecks on the ocean floor. Bioluminescent catsharks reside at the bottom of an inky black flap that folds down, signifying the deepest ocean depths, where no sunlight penetrates. Great whites get star treatment with four consecutive two-page spreads; their teeth and appetite impress but don’t horrify. The book does a wonderful job of highlighting the interconnectedness of species and the importance of environmental stewardship.
Captivating—and not a bit terrifying. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4119-7
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
Skimpy with just six spreads but, like its companions, a simple, serene seasonal posy.
Carter completes his round of seasonal tributes with pop-up sprays of luscious-looking small fruits, garden bounty, and bright flowers.
As before, the locale is a generalized western United States, and both early- and late-season flora and foliage are on display in the same scenes. Along with lots of labels for the neatly limned animals and vegetation in each broad, idyllic landscape—from a “cedar waxwing” nibbling on a “cherry” to the marbled-paper “chickens” pecking beneath a tree heavy with ripe apples—he adds leading questions (“Who eats the flowers?” “Who looks like a stick?”) to invite closer looks. Frisky “chipmunks” are named in the first tableau, then visible without an identifier in each of the following five for younger viewers to point out. Highlighted by a spiraling cucumber vine that turns the vegetable garden into a convincing tangle, the pop-ups are simple and (relatively) sturdy but rear gracefully to surprising heights considering the volume’s small trim size.
Skimpy with just six spreads but, like its companions, a simple, serene seasonal posy. (Informational pop-up picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 24, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2832-7
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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