This traditional Inuit story from Nunavut teaches children the importance of parental guidance—with a dash of excitement.
A cautionary tale about rabbit sisters who disobey their parents and find trouble as a result.
Even though their parents told them not to play out in the open tundra, two rabbit sisters climb atop rocks on a hillside. Trying to outdo each other in a jumping game, the rabbits soon see a large white owl land in front of them. Its talons are sharp and its belly grumbling. He grabs the two rabbits and won’t let go even as he is unable to take flight due to the way they squirm and fight. A comical scene follows as the rabbits work together to throw the owl off balance. The owl’s wife coaches her partner from the sky, telling him to let go of one of the rabbit sisters. Luckily for young readers who might be distressed at the thought that the protagonists might be eaten, the owl’s greed is overwhelming, and he will not listen to her advice. By sticking together, and believing in themselves, the rabbit sisters hatch an escape plan and learn an important lesson. The dark nature of the tale is mitigated by the style of illustration: Bright pastel colors cover each page, and the soft features of the owl and pink-eared rabbits alleviate some of the tension in the life-and-death struggle.
This traditional Inuit story from Nunavut teaches children the importance of parental guidance—with a dash of excitement. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77227-236-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Inhabit Media
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A highly simplified but inviting overview of marine biology.
What do marine biologists do?
To answer that question, Fliess focuses on fieldwork, certainly the most glamorous part of the job. After months of research, Maggie, a Black marine biologist, and her racially diverse team dive into the ocean to swim with humpback whales. They each have a different task, related to their personal research questions, and they’ve each brought different tools. The straightforward text offers general information about humpback whales, including migration, whale song, the use of fluke-slapping as an alarm signal, and diet (krill), as well as the importance of a hypothesis, part of the scientific method. At the conclusion of their research, the team members free a young whale calf trapped in a fishing net—an episode likely to appeal to young readers and listeners as well as a subtle reminder of the problem of trash in our waters. Depicting characters with round, oversize heads, Powell’s illustrations make the dive look both easy and fun, with scenes underwater and in the lab. One final spread includes relevant labels on images (flukes, dorsal ridge, plankton). Backmatter provides general information on marine biologists, what they do, and how to train to be one. There’s also a quick review of how Maggie and her group’s actions correspond to the scientific method. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A highly simplified but inviting overview of marine biology. (suggested reading) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8075-4158-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fun, educational science book that thoughtfully portrays kids of color engaging with and learning from nature and each...
In her latest science-focused picture book, Rockwell offers perspectives from two kids with opposing opinions about insects.
A Black girl with long braids and glasses announces her love of insects while a boy of Asian descent, who drops his sandwich running from two houseflies, says he hates them. Throughout this picture book, which teems with color and motion, the girl focuses on the positives, like their beauty, role as pollinators, and benefits to the soil, as the boy highlights the negatives, like their penchant for stinging, the ugliness of insects like fleas, and the damage some such as aphids do to plants. Readers can decide for themselves whether the two protagonists find some points of agreement. The final double-page spread illustrates all of the insects that appear in the book and invites readers to revisit earlier pages to find them, including butterflies, beetles, bees, a mosquito, a cricket, and more. This informational early reader employs a controlled vocabulary that intentionally repeats words and phrases to facilitate independent reading. Many recognizable insects appear in the book, like the field cricket and the bumblebee, but Rockwell also includes some, such as the little wood satyr butterfly and the cucumber beetle, that will pique curiosity and encourage budding entomologists to explore further to learn about bugs they’ve never met.
A fun, educational science book that thoughtfully portrays kids of color engaging with and learning from nature and each other. (Informational early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: July 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4759-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
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