A nuanced portrait of a woman who was ahead of her times in more ways than one.
A decidedly tardy tribute to a brilliant 19th-century scientist and suffragist.
Starting with a title appropriate in both the literal and figurative senses, Donnelly follows Eunice Newton Foote (1819–1888) from childhood on a New York farm to a scientific education at the daringly innovative Troy Female Seminary. From there she continued on to active participation in the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, which produced the suffragist Declaration of Sentiments. Later, inspired by recent evidence that the Earth was once hotter than it was at the time, she set up an experiment that proved that carbon dioxide played a crucial role in warming the atmosphere and thus the planet—five years before John Tyndall, the supposed father of climate science, reported the same. Though Foote published two scientific papers in her lifetime (the first American woman to do so), her contributions went largely unrecognized until 2011. Happily, Donnelly pays proper tribute to this unusually well-educated woman, clearly describing her atmospheric experiments in lucid, sharply honed prose. Just as importantly, she frankly acknowledges that worthy though their cause was, suffragist leaders excluded Black women and men from their demands for equal voting rights. Change might have been “in the air,” but not for all. A small, straight-backed figure in voluminous period dress, Foote poses in the illustrations surrounded by evocative contextual clues, from contemporary marchers to abstract geometric shapes, plus glimpses of fossils and factory smokestacks.
A nuanced portrait of a woman who was ahead of her times in more ways than one. (timeline, more information on Eunice Newton Foote, web resources on climate change, bibliography) (Picture-book biography. 7-10)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9781250828538
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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