by Mary Holland ; photographed by Mary Holland ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 10, 2019
Another solid addition to Holland’s series.
Holland’s latest in the Animal Anatomy and Adaptations series looks at how animals use their noses.
Noses in the animal kingdom are used for more than just smelling and breathing: They are also useful for finding food and mates, avoiding predators, and navigating. A star-nosed mole wiggles the feelers on its nose to locate earthworms underground; a frog can find its home by smell; and a snake collects particles on its tongue and uses the Jacobson’s organ on the roof of its mouth to identify the smells. A wide range of animals is presented here, not all of them with true noses, which the author points out. For instance, birds breathe and smell through nostrils just above their beaks (different species’ senses of smell vary), and insects breathe through spiricles and smell with antennae. Some facts will amaze: Polar bears can smell seals through 3 feet of ice, and beavers’ noses close when underwater. Backmatter includes an explanation of the sense of smell (written at a significantly higher reading level than the primary text), more fun facts, and two matching/identify activities. As with Holland’s previous examinations of animals’ parts, the close-up photos are the main attraction. Vocabulary is defined in the text, which is mainly written for younger readers, with questions to get them engaged, shorter sentences, and simple vocabulary (“peeing and pooping”).
Another solid addition to Holland’s series. (Nonfiction. 3-9)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60718-805-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Arbordale Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
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by Mary Holland ; photographed by Mary Holland
by Mary Holland ; photographed by Mary Holland
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by Andrew Knapp ; illustrated by Andrew Knapp ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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by Andrew Knapp ; photographed by Andrew Knapp
by Nicola Davies ; illustrated by Jane Ray ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2019
A sweet and endearing feathered migration.
A relationship between a Latina grandmother and her mixed-race granddaughter serves as the frame to depict the ruby-throated hummingbird migration pattern.
In Granny’s lap, a girl is encouraged to “keep still” as the intergenerational pair awaits the ruby-throated hummingbirds with bowls of water in their hands. But like the granddaughter, the tz’unun—“the word for hummingbird in several [Latin American] languages”—must soon fly north. Over the next several double-page spreads, readers follow the ruby-throated hummingbird’s migration pattern from Central America and Mexico through the United States all the way to Canada. Davies metaphorically reunites the granddaughter and grandmother when “a visitor from Granny’s garden” crosses paths with the girl in New York City. Ray provides delicately hashed lines in the illustrations that bring the hummingbirds’ erratic flight pattern to life as they travel north. The watercolor palette is injected with vibrancy by the addition of gold ink, mirroring the hummingbirds’ flashing feathers in the slants of light. The story is supplemented by notes on different pages with facts about the birds such as their nest size, diet, and flight schedule. In addition, a note about ruby-throated hummingbirds supplies readers with detailed information on how ornithologists study and keep track of these birds.
A sweet and endearing feathered migration. (bibliography, index) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0538-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
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by Nicola Davies ; illustrated by Emily Sutton
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by Nicola Davies ; illustrated by Catherine Rayner
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