A solid introduction to marine biology elevated by visuals that evoke an underwater world.
Dive in and meet one of the ocean’s most elusive and peculiar fish.
Davies’ text covers the basics—how seahorses camouflage themselves, snap up their food with surprising speed, and engage in elaborate mating dances that result in the males carrying the eggs. The author offers a conservation message as well, citing pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change alongside efforts in Malaysia, Cambodia, and England to protect these creatures. The information is well presented, never too heavy or overwhelming for the intended audience. Baker-Smith’s mixed-media artwork carries much of the book’s appeal. Layered watercolors and collage create convincing watery depths, with seahorses rendered in warm oranges, pinks, and yellows that stand out against cooler blue-green backgrounds—a noteworthy compositional choice that helps these masters of camouflage register visually. The textured quality of coral reefs and seagrass meadows adds dimensionality. The mating dance sequence works particularly well, with flowing arrangements that suggest movement. Also included is a scene showing tan-skinned, featureless humans processing dried seahorses to use in teas, tonics, and keychains. The final spread of dispersing baby seahorses uses scale effectively to convey both fragility and possibility. Davies ends with backmatter on climate change and what people can do to help seahorses.
A solid introduction to marine biology elevated by visuals that evoke an underwater world. (Informational picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9781536251630
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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