Splendiferous!
An enchanting exploration of everyday miracles.
Young readers have long delighted in anthologies of natural extremes—but what if they found equal enjoyment in processes slightly more sluggish but no less majestic? Somewhere between a picture book and a comics compendium, this immaculately illustrated tome intended for elementary-age naturalists is sure to charm observers outside that audience as well. Inside, the authors suspend 50 “moments” from the natural world—from falling meteors to metamorphosis in frogs and butterflies, cloud formation to salmon spawning—in time, allowing readers to review each occasion at their leisure. In each section, several paragraphs of preamble provide a bit of context for the examined event; image-based sequential storytelling then breaks the occurrence down into constituent steps. Williams’ concise, melodic captions impart essential information in easy-to-digest portions: chewier than mere tidbits but nothing that would overwhelm one’s appetite. The feast is found in Hartas’ magical, delicate illustrations, which balance steadfast scientific accuracy with the slightest possible anthropomorphic exaggerations. All told, the format appropriately encourages gradual consumption: This is not a single-sitting read! Throughout, the book urges readers to get out, slow down, and take the world in; at the end, it even provides sample practices for engaged observation. A list of further reading presents a curated list of conservation- and mindfulness-related nonprofits and organizations while a selected bibliography directs readers hoping to take a deeper dive into a topic of interest. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.2-by-23-inch double-page spreads viewed at 55% of actual size.)
Splendiferous! (Informational picture book. 4-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4838-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Magic Cat
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on.
Sharpson offers so-fish-ticated readers a heads up about the true terror of the seas.
The title says it all. Our unseen narrator is just fine with other animals: mammals. Reptiles. Even birds. But fish? Don’t trust them! First off, the rules always seem to change with fish. Some live in fresh water; some reside in salt water. Some have gills, while others have lungs. You can never see what they’re up to, since they hang out underwater, and they’re always eating those poor, innocent crabs. Soon, the narrator introduces readers to Jeff, a vacant-eyed yellow fish—but don’t be fooled! Jeff’s “the craftiest fish of all.” All fish are, apparently, hellbent on world domination, the narrator warns. “DON’T TRUST FISH!” Finally, at the tail end, we get a sly glimpse of our unreliable narrator. Readers needn’t be ichthyologists to appreciate Sharpson’s meticulous comic timing. (“Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn’t that strange?”) His delightful text, filled to the brim with jokes that read aloud brilliantly, pairs perfectly with Santat’s art, which shifts between extreme realism and goofy hilarity. He also fills the book with his own clever gags (such as an image of Gilligan’s Island’s S.S. Minnow going down and a bottle of sauce labeled “Surly Chik’n Srir’racha’r”).
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780593616673
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
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
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