A pleasant but facile introduction to the important concept of seed dispersal.
Page examines how seeds move from their parent plants to places where they can sprout and grow.
The simple prose relies on action verbs for punch, if not scientific accuracy: A seed may “hitchhike,” “catapult,” “parachute,” or even “plop”—in the poop of a berry-eating bear. Some spreads depict related actions: The large, buoyant seeds of the coconut palm and monkey-ladder vine can both drop into water and “drift” or “float” off, perhaps finding an auspicious shore for propagation. Particularly intriguing are seeds adapted in ways that encourage animals to mobilize them. Bloodroot seeds contain a morsel tasty to ants, which carry the seeds to their nest to eat and bury. The seeds of an unspecified African grass look and smell like antelope droppings, tricking dung beetles into rolling them underground. Farmers and gardeners are also acknowledged, and kids are encouraged to plant a watermelon seed “and see what happens.” Crisply delineated against white space, digital illustrations use color, texture, and form to depict striking, identifiable images that are nonetheless stylized rather than scientific. Some of Page’s choices in visual perspective may confound children curious about the sizes of seeds and animals. No geographical or biological information is provided for the plants and animals depicted—a missed opportunity to further engage young readers.
A pleasant but facile introduction to the important concept of seed dispersal. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 19, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0915-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
Ephemeral, though the interactive feature will likely prompt one or two voyages before the rocket flies off into oblivion.
A toy rocket propelled along a winding slot invites young astronauts to sample the wonders of outer space.
As in Vago and Rockefeller’s Train (2016), it’s all about the gimmick: a continuous slot cut into the heavy board pages that allows the small plastic vehicle (a retro-style rocket ship, here) to be pushed or pulled across each scene up to the edge and then around the edge to the next opening. Illustrating the generic rhyme (“Stars spin around in a cosmic race / Exploring the mysteries of outer space”), Rockefeller fills the starry firmament with flashes of light as the rocket soars past a crowd of glowing planets, winds its way through a thick field of “rocks,” pursues a comet, navigates a twinkling nebula, then swoops around a supernova to a die-cut hole that leads back to the first spread. The rocket is reasonably secure in its slot, but it can be reinserted easily enough should it fall (or, more likely, be pulled) out. The publisher suggests an age range of 4 through 8, likely in acknowledgment of the potential choking hazard the rocket ship poses, but the brevity and blandness of the text are unlikely to appeal to most in that range. Aside from a group of tiny figures watching the initial liftoff there are no people in the pictures.
Ephemeral, though the interactive feature will likely prompt one or two voyages before the rocket flies off into oblivion. (Novelty board book. 4-5)Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5235-0113-7
Page Count: 15
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Not a high-octane outing, but it could fill in some background for curious would-be motorists just out of their car seats.
Pull tabs and other special effects rev up this look at the lives of cars, from factory to junkyard.
The book opens with a sparse “museum” of early autos and closes with a visit to a Formula 1 racetrack. In between, single-topic spreads take generic automobiles from design lab to dealer, supply glimpses of a dashboard and beneath the hood, then go on to show what happens at a repair shop, a service station, and a car wash. Moving elements, one or two per page, are fairly sturdy and relatively varied—ranging from large flaps to geared wheels, tabs, and slots that work a hydraulic lift or allow a wreck to be hauled aboard a tow truck. In Hardenberg’s translation from the French, Krasinski’s simply phrased labels and commentary incorporate some distinctive vocabulary: “prototype,” “exhaust pipe,” “pre-owned.” Though hybrid, electric, and driverless cars receive nods, the focus throughout is mainly on traditional gas guzzlers. Latyk darkens the skin of some of the stylized human figures in his simple illustrations, but like the cars on display, most are small on the page and generic of feature.
Not a high-octane outing, but it could fill in some background for curious would-be motorists just out of their car seats. (Informational novelty. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-2-40800-790-4
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Twirl/Chronicle
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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