“Beatrice Shilling wasn’t quite like other children. She preferred tools to sweets.”
From an early fascination with toys, radios, and motorcycles, Beatrice Shilling was entranced by the idea of how things worked, taking apart and reassembling the machines around her. Repeating text tied with comical illustrations allows readers to witness how the young White Englishwoman was atypical for her post–World War I period—few women shared her skills and interests, and most men were not ready to accept her—while mentions of her mistakes show her resilience and how she learned and grew. Supported by a female engineer, she found her calling early and was encouraged to attend university to sharpen her skills, all the while succeeding at motorcycle racing as well as falling in love and marrying. But it was during her time at the Royal Aircraft Establishment during WWII that she truly shone, finding a solution to a fuel-release problem that allowed fighting pilots to maneuver safely. This accessible, tongue-in-cheek depiction of Shilling’s life and achievements hits all the right notes and shows a woman flourishing in STEM, the importance of powering through adversity, ways in which science and curiosity can be applied, as well as how women have supported each other to learn and succeed. Duncan’s fine-lined illustrations include characters of color among the largely White cast of background characters.
An appealing biography that will inspire young scientists and those who may quietly rebel against the status quo. (author’s note, sources) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1252-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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A longtime ambassador for the animal kingdom introduces turtles from around the world.
Knowing just what will intrigue her readers, naturalist Montgomery starts off with a surprising statement: “Sometime around 240 million years ago…the shell invented the turtle.” She describes the ways shells define and protect turtles. She details turtles’ other physical characteristics and their unusual longevity. She gives examples of “extreme turtles”—biggest, smallest, flattest, fattest, and so forth, and species with unusual traits and/or skills. Readers will learn that the Chinese softshell terrapin is one of several species that “tinkle through their mouths.” Some South American turtles communicate through vocalizations. She also introduces some celebrity turtles, including the late Pinta Island tortoise Lonesome George, likely the last of his kind. An appealing section on the habits of baby sea turtles leads nicely into a description of turtle population decline and why turtles are a crucial part of ecosystems...which in turn leads to suggestions of how readers can help. Accompanying the smoothly written narrative are images of more than 30 species, often with features of their usual habitat, mostly set against a white background. Wildlife artist Patterson’s unobtrusively labeled acrylic paintings are realistic and detailed. Who can resist the tortoises enjoying a neck rub or shell scratch (from light-skinned human hands)? Smartly pairing two experts in wildlife portrayal, this one is not to be missed.
Splendid. (resources, glossary, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 5-9)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780358458074
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS
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