Slightly out of tune but worth a listen nonetheless.
Fourteen animal species—insects, frogs, birds, and mammals—are celebrated for their particular musical abilities.
From gibbons who sing at dawn in Southeast Asian treetops to club-winged manakins who strum their feathers in the Andean mountain forests, from humpback whales in ocean depths to male St. Andrews Cross spiders crossing the webs of potential mates, animals of all sorts make musical sounds with various parts of their bodies. The author of this intriguing title is a Spanish composer, conductor, and musicologist whose understanding of music and musicianship opens a whole new window into the animal world. Presented as a series of imagined album notes, two successive double-page spreads introduce each animal in several short paragraphs (main text and callouts with additional interesting facts) about the musical performances, how they are made, and the different sounds the creature can make—its repertoire, as it were. “Production credits” include the concert title, venue, time, length, and purported composer; for the superb lyrebird, for instance, these are: “Rainforest Remix,” the Rainforest Disco Club, winter, 20 minutes, and DJ Lyrebird. Cartoonlike animal images printed on staff-paper backgrounds support the theme. The image of the imagined recording, shown, usually, as a 45rpm disc, will likely be meaningless to today’s readers, the translation has awkward moments, and the layout can be confusing, but readers who figure out the premise will find their ears opened to a new way of appreciating the natural world. Actual recordings of the animal songs will be available on the publisher’s website.
Slightly out of tune but worth a listen nonetheless. (Informational picture book. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-2-924774-54-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: The Secret Mountain
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
A parrot costumed as detective leads readers through this collection of examples of animals “spying and prying” to find a mate, food or home or to avoid being eaten, of course, and animals tricking other eavesdroppers. While the conceit may be far-fetched, this is an appealing presentation of intriguing animal facts. Chapter by chapter, the text describes animals paying attention to each other and to other species. The examples are wide-ranging. Baboons, European robins and cichlids all look for a chance to horn in on a reproductive pair and get a chance to reproduce themselves. Predator fireflies watch for other firefly signal lights to pounce. Go-away-birds let dik-diks know when a predator is near. Siamese fighting fish watch others fight to challenge the loser; for female canaries, the loser is the best mate. And so on. A lively design includes photographs of the species, with notes attached. Each chapter has a slightly different colored background and is followed by an example of a further unusual behavior. Suggested additional reading, an exemplary bibliography and index complete the package. (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55451-217-1
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
Thousands of years ago, the Komodo dragon may have inspired dragon legends in China and beyond. In more recent times, researchers from all over the world have traveled to the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia to study the Komodo dragon. This lively if somewhat haphazardly organized account focuses on the efforts of contemporary researchers, presents some of their cooler findings (female dragons can reproduce through parthenogenesis; their saliva is laced with deadly bacteria) and profiles a few captive specimens. Mostly color photographs from a variety of sources adorn almost every page, and captions add to the information. Learning about the Komodo dragon is not for the faint of heart, and the photos show the wild beasts in all their gory glory. The extensive backmatter includes brief facts about Indonesia, more information on the Komodo dragon life cycle and its use of smell and conservation information. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Komodo Survival Program. (bibliography, further reading, glossary, websites, index, author’s note) (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-757-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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