A labor of love reflecting years of experience in the field as well as in writing for young readers, this offers a path to...
Enter the world of trees!
This paperback invitation to the study of woodland ecology is nicely organized into chapters that lead from defining what a tree is and looking at individuals, through exploring wooded areas and the wildlife in and around the trees (and stumps!), and finally, to the relationships between trees and people and conservation issues. There’s a generous helping of "look for," "listen for," and "try this" activities for exploring woodlands. Most examples reflect trees that can be found in the eastern and central parts of the United States and nearby Canada, but the narrative is not specific to any single part of North America. As in Birdology (2015), Russo doesn’t talk down to her readers; this works for a wide age range. Activities range from simple observations to ongoing investigations. They require little equipment, sometimes only “your sharp eyes” and, later, a logbook. (She includes suggestions for making, decorating, and using one.) The 125 photos—of trees; leaves, bark, and other details; as well as plants, moss and lichen, and even insect and animal life—will be in full color. There are informational sidebars and drawings, too, as well as helpful backmatter.
A labor of love reflecting years of experience in the field as well as in writing for young readers, this offers a path to interesting explorations of the natural world. (glossary, common and scientific names, resources, teacher’s guide, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 8-15)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-61373-396-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Hot on the heels of the well-received Leonardo da Vinci (2005) comes another agreeably chatty entry in the Giants of Science series. Here the pioneering physicist is revealed as undeniably brilliant, but also cantankerous, mean-spirited, paranoid and possibly depressive. Newton’s youth and annus mirabilis receive respectful treatment, the solitude enforced by family estrangement and then the plague seen as critical to the development of his thoughtful, methodical approach. His subsequent squabbles with the rest of the scientific community—he refrained from publishing one treatise until his rival was dead—further support the image of Newton as a scientific lone wolf. Krull’s colloquial treatment sketches Newton’s advances in clearly understandable terms without bogging the text down with detailed explanations. A final chapter on “His Impact” places him squarely in the pantheon of great thinkers, arguing that both his insistence on the scientific method and his theories of physics have informed all subsequent scientific thought. A bibliography, web site and index round out the volume; the lack of detail on the use of sources is regrettable in an otherwise solid offering for middle-grade students. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-05921-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
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