Readers interested in the value Muslim civilizations have added to our global village will be hard-pressed to find a more...
With this compendium, National Geographic has developed a book that’s as packed with information as an encyclopedia but as much fun to read as a comic book.
From chess to clocks, surgery to windmills, astronomy to running water and universities, this book brings to light the ways in which Muslim civilizations of the past laid the foundations for many of the modern conveniences we take for granted today. Many in the West assume that the greatest ideas have come from the Western world, but this book blows that misconception out of the water, and it also shows that the world is smaller than we think, with ideas and inventions moving from one part of the world to another throughout history. Each two-page spread bears a title such as “15 Head-Turning Fashion Facts,” “50 Fresh Facts about Keeping Clean,” or “50 Facts about Exploration” and is covered with interesting and often surprising facts organized in attractive boxes of different colors with spot illustrations throughout. A selection of further resources include interactive websites and a traveling exhibit. Fun for browsing or as a point of departure for deep exploration and research, this book has something for every interest.
Readers interested in the value Muslim civilizations have added to our global village will be hard-pressed to find a more stimulating introduction than this one. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-16)Pub Date: Dec. 11, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1258-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: July 25, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy.
Through the author’s own childhood diary entries, a seventh grader details her inner life before and after 9/11.
Alyssa’s diary entries start in September 2000, in the first week of her seventh grade year. She’s 11 and dealing with typical preteen concerns—popularity and anxiety about grades—along with other things more particular to her own life. She’s shuffling between Queens and Manhattan to share time between her divorced parents and struggling with thick facial hair and classmates who make her feel like she’s “not a whole person” due to her mixed White and Puerto Rican heritage. Alyssa is endlessly earnest and awkward as she works up the courage to talk to her crush, Alejandro; gushes about her dreams of becoming a shoe designer; and tries to solve her burgeoning unibrow problem. The diaries also have a darker side, as a sense of impending doom builds as the entries approach 9/11, especially because Alyssa’s father works in finance in the World Trade Center. As a number of the diary entries are taken directly from the author’s originals, they effortlessly capture the loud, confusing feelings middle school brings out. The artwork, in its muted but effective periwinkle tones, lends a satisfying layer to the diary’s accessible and delightful format.
An authentic and moving time capsule of middle school angst, trauma, and joy. (author's note) (Graphic memoir. 8-13)Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-77427-9
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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