An elegant introduction to caribou and the language of the people who depend on them.
Follow caribou as they grow in this bilingual English-Inuktitut board book.
Caribou hold enormous economic and traditional significance to the Inuit people, and this board book affirms their vital role in the community. Opening with a vulnerable “nurraq,” or “baby caribou,” the text defines the animal in three terms, first with Inuktitut syllabics, then with the Romanized version of the syllabics, and finally, the English translation of the word. Standing alone against a white background, the lanky baby caribou is gauzy and lightly shaded, a mostly naturalistic animal imbued with a touch of softness. It’s followed by a full-bleed, double-page spread showing mother and baby amid a luminously colored, sweeping boreal landscape. As the book progresses, readers meet six specific iterations of caribou throughout their life spans, such as “nurraviniq,” or “young caribou (male or female),” ending with a “pangniq,” or “bull caribou.” Each stage is accompanied by a handsome introductory portrait and then a tableau set against mountains, grassy meadows, or snowy expanses, demonstrating the Arctic environment’s rugged beauty and diversity. Though no humans appear in this picture dictionary, the respect for both the Inuit language and the caribou itself is abundantly clear, and this book will be useful for native speakers and for those learning about Inuktitut.
An elegant introduction to caribou and the language of the people who depend on them. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77227-280-2
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
Don’t judge this book by its cover; there’s an unusual concept and whimsical illustrations hiding underneath
A series of solid shapes substitute for natural objects in this board book that is somewhere between concept book and riddle game.
What’s that shape supposed to be? Running across a rust-brown labeled triangle, amid trees and elk, the text “Climb a TRIANGLE to the top” suggests the shape is a mountain; in an ocean scene with a red “STAR washed in on the waves,” the shape implies a sea star. Ample visual cues give young readers enough context to guess what the shape evokes, with some unexpected touches, such as “HEXAGON” printed on hexagonal honeycombs buzzing with bees and surrounded by golden flowers. Short, commanding sentences keep things humming, but with only six shapes covered, the book feels all too brief. Illustrator Devernay combines delicate pencil line drawings and sketchy gray-black shading with tiny, meticulously cut colored-paper collage to create her plants and animals. The most intimate drawings amaze. Close-ups of smooth stones are so appealing that readers will long to pick one up and “rub a smooth OVAL between thumb and finger.” Sadly, the cover doesn’t do the interior justice, and things get murky when several hues mix there and on the final spread. But on other spreads, where there’s a single color, it pops against the gray, such as the minute yellow beaks on the flock of charcoal birds circling the yellow “CIRCLE” sun.
Don’t judge this book by its cover; there’s an unusual concept and whimsical illustrations hiding underneath . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-56846-317-9
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Creative Editions/Creative Company
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BLOG
A nice addition to this baby-attuned series.
In this newest addition to the Baby Scientist series toddlers are introduced to the basics of what a botanist does.
The book starts with a simple and straightforward explanation of its subject matter: “Who studies plants? / Baby Botanist does!” Wearing a white lab coat with yellow polka dots, a brown-skinned child with a purple hair bow holding up its one little curl proceeds to present a number of simply stated and easily understood plant facts. As with the previous books, the illustrations are colorful, uncluttered, and humorously engaging, and baby has a sidekick; this time it is a blue-and-yellow snail. After planting a seed, Baby wonders what plant will grow. The text explains that some plants have roots and some do not, and they might grow on water or underground. In a simple acknowledgment of a healthy diet, the book states “Baby’s favorite foods all come from plants.” Children are also presented with food they may not recognize as coming from plants, such as noodles and chocolate. In the end, the seed that Baby has planted, watered, and kept in the sunlight “grows into a flower for Mama!” and with that comes a big thank-you hug from Mama.
A nice addition to this baby-attuned series. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-284132-2
Page Count: 22
Publisher: HarperFestival
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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