Solid interactive fare for younger STEM-winders.
A primary introduction to dinosaurs, with lots of flaps to lift and polysyllabic names to practice.
Melodrama trumps realism in the illustrations, as Shufflebotham picks hues for her stylized figures from the garish end of the palette and depicts most of her dinos in open-mouthed, menacing (if gore-free) poses. In contrast, the variously shaped and sized flaps are mostly used for informational purposes such as adding space for more pictures or transforming a fleshed-out specimen to a skeleton. Not all the dinosaurs are drawn to scale, but to compensate she adds translucent human silhouettes both to the simplified prehistoric backdrops and to some of the inset portraits. Baker’s commentary, divvied up into scattered one- or two-sentence bits, lays a sturdy foundation of fact by offering simply phrased observations about diet, defense, camouflage, and even evolutionary changes while replacing abstract numbers with vivid comparisons. Younger readers will find it hard to forget, for instance, that the teeth of T. rex were “each the size of a banana” or that Gallimimus “was as big as a rhinoceros but faster than a racehorse.” The author follows suit in the co-published Oceans and Seas, illustrated (in a more naturalistic style) by Gareth Lucas, by noting, for instance that “the colossal squid…can be as long as a bus.” Readers might wish for a little more information about some topics, such as just why or how the orca isn’t a whale but belongs to the dolphin family, but she does expand her survey of the oceans with mentions of plastic pollution and of waves as a source of “clean energy.” The movable elements in both outings are either folded from or firmly attached to sturdy stock.
Solid interactive fare for younger STEM-winders. (Informational novelty. 7-9)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-944530-32-7
Page Count: 12
Publisher: 360 Degrees
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal.
Before growing up to become a major figure in the civil rights movement, a boy finds a role model.
Buffing up a childhood tale told by her renowned father, Young Shelton describes how young Andrew saw scary men marching in his New Orleans neighborhood (“It sounded like they were yelling ‘Hi, Hitler!’ ”). In response to his questions, his father took him to see a newsreel of Jesse Owens (“a runner who looked like me”) triumphing in the 1936 Olympics. “Racism is a sickness,” his father tells him. “We’ve got to help folks like that.” How? “Well, you can start by just being the best person you can be,” his father replies. “It’s what you do that counts.” In James’ hazy chalk pastels, Andrew joins racially diverse playmates (including a White child with an Irish accent proudly displaying the nickel he got from his aunt as a bribe to stop playing with “those Colored boys”) in tag and other games, playing catch with his dad, sitting in the midst of a cheering crowd in the local theater’s segregated balcony, and finally visualizing himself pelting down a track alongside his new hero—“head up, back straight, eyes focused,” as a thematically repeated line has it, on the finish line. An afterword by Young Shelton explains that she retold this story, told to her many times growing up, drawing from conversations with Young and from her own research; family photos are also included. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal. (illustrator’s note) (Autobiographical picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-545-55465-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
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