A beautiful bloom for the nature shelf.
Learn the science behind your favorite flowers.
In this book, readers will go on an educational nature walk where they’ll learn the science behind the life cycle of plants. The lush, geometric illustrations are the superstars of this adventure, drawing in readers from the front endpapers to the rear. Occasional pages are illustrated on black backgrounds, pushing the floral illustrations forward. Smaller doodles and labels are interspersed between main illustrations, making the book a delight for detail-oriented readers. The text guiding the exploration starts out simply with one or two sentences per spread and slowly becomes more complex as the biology of plants is explained. Most sentences are limited to one- and two-syllable words with more-advanced vocabulary mixed in carefully, making the book engaging for a range of reading levels. The effort withers slightly in the backmatter; although many sources are listed for readers, there is no pronunciation guide or glossary to help readers with such terms as mineral and nematode. Thankfully, that’s not enough to spoil the fruit, and the book will still be useful to a multitude of readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10.5-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
A beautiful bloom for the nature shelf. (sources, further reading) (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-17647-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers would be far better served by a good beginning atlas. (Nonfiction. 8-10)
While searching for the titular cat on seven different continent maps, readers will encounter famous sights, products, cultural customs, and other interesting objects.
Two pages with paragraphs describing a few illustrated items precede each double-page–map spread, which bristles with them, including the aurora borealis (counted as one of Europe’s attractions), the Chinese terra-cotta army (Asia), and the Halley VI research station (Antarctica). There are no political boundaries, and the stylized maps are somewhat skewed to fit the page size, which is large but not big enough for the scale of some. Mexico, for instance, is barely distinguishable on the map of North America. Many interesting visuals have no explanation, and without country labels, it will be difficult even for many adults to help young readers figure out what some of these pictures represent. For example, there is no text about the whirling dervishes of Turkey, members of a Sufi religious order, illustrated in their distinctive white clothing. Turkey, which is located in both Europe and Asia, is pictured here in Europe. Some kids will be fascinated and possibly resourceful enough to do some research to find out more about the objects, animals, and people not described, but many will be frustrated by the experience. An answer key to the cat’s location is given on the last page, but the feline almost seems to be an afterthought.
Readers would be far better served by a good beginning atlas. (Nonfiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-78603-766-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A searching look beneath the surface for young perambulators.
Cross-section views of underground settlements and sites, from ancient tombs to the cities of humans and prairie dogs.
The creators of Walk This Wild World (2017) here literally take the low road, with stops on each continent except Antarctica. The tour begins with a panoramic look at the busy shopping level beneath the streets of Montreal and the subway beneath that, then goes on to similar views of London and Tokyo. Brewster also digs down to reveal underground warrens populated by leafcutter ants and other creatures, subterranean Berber homes in the Tunisian town of Matmata, elaborately decorated tombs in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, a salt mine in Poland, an opal mine in Australia, and prehistoric fossils buried beneath Mongolia’s Flaming Cliffs. Each graphically tidy setting is rich in details, with human figures (fairly diverse of dress and skin color) and animals engaged in exploration, housekeeping, or other tasks. Baker’s identifying rhyme is the only text visible on each spread at first glance, which invites viewers to take in the overall scene at their leisure before lifting the multiple flaps to reveal illuminating descriptive and explanatory comments, along with fleshed-out versions of dino skeletons and like additional images. Despite a few liberties with scale, these subterranean sojourns will add a new level…or two…to readers’ worlds.
A searching look beneath the surface for young perambulators. (Informational novelty. 8-10)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0856-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Big Picture/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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