Ample education and enjoyment for readers who already love nature and much to spark interest for newcomers.
Ways for young people growing up in urbanized areas to connect with nature.
Translated from German, this friendly, interactive guide features activities of various difficulty levels and fascinating pieces of information intermingled with emotive, action-filled photographs of diverse people along with simple but adorable illustrations. An introductory segment on safety and preparedness outlines useful equipment and introduces some common dangers and preservation techniques; other sections encourage environmental stewardship, suggest unexpected places to look for nature in urban areas, and provide ideas for discovering connections to nature right in readers’ own homes. The activities incorporate STEM concepts in fun, inexpensive ways but do require varying levels of adult supervision and involvement. Though the book is specifically geared toward urbanites, much of the information is unique enough, and the activities are interesting enough, to entice kids who live in rural areas and/or already spend time in nature regularly. Some activities may be more suitable for suburban areas than truly urban landscapes, such as altering the ripening pattern of apples or creating welcoming outdoor spaces for lizards and bees. An explanation of how to use the included index demystifies nonfiction formatting for those new to the genre.
Ample education and enjoyment for readers who already love nature and much to spark interest for newcomers. (photo credits) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: April 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781771648950
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers who want to know when their jet packs and food tablets will be coming will find no answers in this mishmash of...
A Belgian import attempts prognostication.
Schutten opens and closes with the dead-cinch prediction that readers in 2030 will laugh at his views on where household tech, sustainable land and water use, medicine and robotics are heading in the near future. In between, he delivers debatable prophecies that microwave ovens will be superseded by unspecified new devices, that computer games will replace most toys and like airy claims. These are embedded in equally superficial surveys of the pros and cons of fossil and alternative energy sources, as well as cautionary looks at environmentally damaging agricultural and lifestyle practices that are in at least the early stages of being addressed. Conversely, he is blindly optimistic about the wonders of “superfoods,” carrying surveillance chips in our bodies and supersmart robots managing our lives. Uncaptioned photos and graphics add lots of color but little content. A closing section of provocative questions, plus endnotes citing news stories, blog posts and other sources of more detailed information, may give would-be futurologists some reward for slogging their ways through.
Readers who want to know when their jet packs and food tablets will be coming will find no answers in this mishmash of eco-sermons and vague allusions to cutting-edge technology. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-58270-474-6
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Beyond Words/Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Shortcomings aside, garden projects for preteens are always welcome, and Cornell includes excellent resources for further...
Cornell presents gardening basics and a dozen projects, arranged by season.
A six-page introduction establishes good reasons for gardening (producing healthy, colorful food and flowers; providing beneficial habitat for birds and insects). Short overviews begin each section, from spring through winter. Some projects, such as growing a plant from an avocado pit, often appear in children’s gardening books. Others, like making an under-sink compost bin with red worms, are more novel. Each activity includes a list of supplies to gather or purchase and instructions laid out in steps (these range in number from six to 13). Cornell encourages children without garden spaces to create container gardens, gearing several projects especially to them. While the author writes well and with expertise, some quibbles can be pegged to the cramped 48-page length. The introduction contains a section on soil testing that reduces this complex topic to three short paragraphs. The plant hardiness zone map is so reduced in size that it’s undecipherable. The text type's font is small, and some activities contain complicated steps, such as the instructions for double digging a soil plot in the “Birds and Bees Garden” activity. Many ingredient lists call for “1 bag potting soil” but never stipulate what size to buy. Pleasant photographs by Larson are supplemented with clear diagrams and stock photos.
Shortcomings aside, garden projects for preteens are always welcome, and Cornell includes excellent resources for further endeavors. (glossary, bibliography, websites, sources for supplies, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: March 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4677-2647-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
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