Attractive, colorful, and age-appropriate, though not without flaw.
A brown-skinned young girl acts as “bug guide,” inviting readers to search for some bugs with her in this attractive offering by Yoon.
The book showcases a total of eight common insects, from ladybug and butterfly to bumblebee and ant, one on each page in close-up detail, with a green, leafy background. Each insect is printed on a large flap that’s sturdy and easy for a toddler to lift up, and underneath is a colorful illustration of the insect in its natural environment and a rhyming couplet (sometimes clunky but always age-appropriate) giving brief basic facts about it. “Lightning bugs come out at night / and flash their little glowing light”; “Grasshoppers can jump so high! / They also use their wings to fly.” The book supports a common misconception by including the spider, an arachnid, with the rest of the insects, encouraging another generation to believe that spiders are insects: “Spiders creep and sneak and crawl. / They weave their webs, both big and small.” Bright, colorful illustrations show the insects in natural colors and all at the same size, not drawn to scale. Companion book Dinosaur Discovery works on the same format with a young white-skinned girl as “field guide” and features eight common dinosaurs, including Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and Argentinosaurus, again not to scale. Some of the facts may be unverifiable, such as assertions about coloration and vocalization.
Attractive, colorful, and age-appropriate, though not without flaw. (Board book. 18 mos.-4)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4549-2108-0
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
This title will be swimming off the shelves.
Swim in the world of sharks with this fact-filled picture book.
The great white shark may not actually be that great. A representative of the species is the narrator of this informative picture book, but each time the shark attempts to claim great status—biggest, sneakiest, fastest, etc.—another shark from a different species lays claim to that title. As the conversation continues, readers will learn facts about great whites as well as a smattering of information about their cousins. The book’s one-upmanship tone is humorous and will amuse readers who may be familiar with similar conversations in the schoolyard or at home among siblings. Adept educators and librarians may be able to use this book for smaller-group storytimes, but the detailed artwork is best suited for the lap, allowing readers to pore over the cheerful, collaged illustrations. A small list of recommended reading will help caregivers find more information about sharks—a great addition because many readers will be bitten by curiosity. The introduction of a bear-y unusual sea creature at the conclusion tantalizes readers with the possibility of a sequel.
This title will be swimming off the shelves. (Informational picture book. 6-12)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-525-64528-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A winning heads up for younger readers just becoming aware of the wider natural world.
An appeal to share concern for 12 familiar but threatened, endangered, or critically endangered animal species.
The subjects of Marino’s intimate, close-up portraits—fairly naturalistically rendered, though most are also smiling, glancing up at viewers through human eyes, and posed at rest with a cute youngling on lap or flank—steal the show. Still, Clinton’s accompanying tally of facts about each one’s habitat and daily routines, to which the title serves as an ongoing refrain, adds refreshingly unsentimental notes: “A single giraffe kick can kill a lion!”; “[S]hivers of whale sharks can sense a drop of blood if it’s in the water nearby, though they eat mainly plankton.” Along with tucking in collective nouns for each animal (some not likely to be found in major, or any, dictionaries: an “embarrassment” of giant pandas?), the author systematically cites geographical range, endangered status, and assumed reasons for that status, such as pollution, poaching, or environmental change. She also explains the specific meaning of “endangered” and some of its causes before closing with a set of doable activities (all uncontroversial aside from the suggestion to support and visit zoos) and a list of international animal days to celebrate.
A winning heads up for younger readers just becoming aware of the wider natural world. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-51432-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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