by Lola M. Schaefer ; illustrated by Druscilla Santiago ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 27, 2024
A child-friendly introduction to a scientific concept.
A primer on pushes and pulls.
As they did in Matter (2023), Schaefer and Santiago continue to explore basic scientific concepts. Their latest is an interactive introduction to force, “a push or pull that can change the motion or shape of an object.” The author explores gravity (simplistically defined as “a force that pulls objects toward Earth”), friction, inertia, and acceleration. But first, she invites readers into the physics lab, where sharp eyes will find the supplies they’ll use in their investigations: whipped cream, sandpaper, a track and marbles, beanbags, a jar of dirt, and even a notebook (a nice touch). As in previous series titles, readers are asked to physically engage with the book. Kids are told to blow on an image of sand, then to touch a button on a lab-vac to clean it up, which leads to an explanation of how a vacuum works. Outside the lab, on a playground, a diverse group of children and adults demonstrate forces at work. (In an online guide for the series, the publisher builds on this idea with a playground-based lesson.) A final, sure-to-please activity asks children to construct a teeter-totter out of a Popsicle stick and a drinking straw, which provides another example of pulls and pushes and gives readers the opportunity to propel a small object into the air. (Be prepared for enthusiastic demonstrations.) The combination of clear, concrete examples, reader interaction, and humor works well.
A child-friendly introduction to a scientific concept. (Informational picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: Feb. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9781623542450
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2023
Share your opinion of this book
More by Lola M. Schaefer
BOOK REVIEW
by Lola M. Schaefer ; illustrated by Druscilla Santiago
BOOK REVIEW
by Lola M. Schaefer ; illustrated by Druscilla Santiago
BOOK REVIEW
by Lola M. Schaefer ; illustrated by James Yang
by Kate Messner ; illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2022
More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature.
In a new entry in the Over and Under series, a paddleboarder glimpses humpback whales leaping, floats over a populous kelp forest, and explores life on a beach and in a tide pool.
In this tale inspired by Messner’s experiences in Monterey Bay in California, a young tan-skinned narrator, along with their light-skinned mom and tan-skinned dad, observes in quiet, lyrical language sights and sounds above and below the sea’s serene surface. Switching perspectives and angles of view and often leaving the family’s red paddleboards just tiny dots bobbing on distant swells, Neal’s broad seascapes depict in precise detail bat stars and anchovies, kelp bass, and sea otters going about their business amid rocky formations and the swaying fronds of kelp…and, further out, graceful moon jellies and—thrillingly—massive whales in open waters beneath gliding pelicans and other shorebirds. After returning to the beach at day’s end to search for shells and to spot anemones and decorator crabs, the child ends with nighttime dreams of stars in the sky meeting stars in the sea. Appended nature notes on kelp and 21 other types of sealife fill in details about patterns and relationships in this rich ecosystem. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-79720-347-8
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
Share your opinion of this book
More by Kate Messner
BOOK REVIEW
by Kate Messner ; illustrated by MacKenzie Haley
BOOK REVIEW
by Kate Messner ; illustrated by Heather Ross
BOOK REVIEW
by Grace Lin & Kate Messner ; illustrated by Grace Lin
by Lily Williams ; illustrated by Lily Williams ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 28, 2018
A solid addition to the climate-change canon for those interested in saving a fragile world.
Dire consequences attend the unchecked melting of Arctic sea ice.
The more the ice melts, the more the Arctic climate changes. The more that air and ground temperatures rise, the more the frozen ecosystem’s inhabitants, including plants and insects, suffer from dwindling habitats; threats to food sources; and imbalances in feeding, breeding, and migration patterns. Solid information is packed into this brief work that lucidly raises the alarm for young readers, with each spread capturing the thrilling, chilling north in rich, dramatic blue swathes of seawater set off by icy glaciers and snowdrifts. Child-friendly, occasionally cluttered paintings, some with labels, highlight polar bears and their Arctic neighbors; a spread of vignettes illustrates how changes to plant life affect wildlife. One labeled spread explains all: As seawater warms, it absorbs sunlight, thus heating more water and melting more ice. One poignant spread depicts a bewildered polar bear mom, eyeing readers and flanked by her twin cubs, drifting on a shrinking ice floe. Two human children, one brown-skinned and one pale, occasionally appear in the illustrations as well. The book ends on a hopeful note, reassuring youngsters that “we still have time to save polar bears and slow the loss of Arctic ice.” A note in the backmatter offers conservation tips.
A solid addition to the climate-change canon for those interested in saving a fragile world. (author’s note, bibliography, additional sources) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-14319-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Lily Williams ; illustrated by Lily Williams
by Lily Williams ; illustrated by Lily Williams
More by Lily Williams
BOOK REVIEW
by Lily Williams & Karen Schneemann ; illustrated by Lily Williams
BOOK REVIEW
by Ella Schwartz ; illustrated by Lily Williams
BOOK REVIEW
by Lily Williams ; illustrated by Lily Williams
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
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.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.