Despite some misalignment between form and content, an attractive, informative presentation.
Adopting the haiku form, Walker examines trees, from seed to crown, from ancient times to modern.
In 10 sections, verses—sparsely punctuated and without initial capitalization—vary in function, alternating the oblique delivery of facts with often lovely metaphor. The section “What’s in a Name?” begins factually: “scientific names / (two-word Latin tongue twisters) / prevent confusion.” The next verse shifts whimsically: “Ginkgo biloba: / hungry mouths chomp chewy greens— / dinosaur salad.” Walker’s imagery is deft, as in these assonant lines: “covered with gray fur / pussywillow catkins cling: / kittens on slim twigs.” The scope is impressive; sweeping across eons, from ancient tree ferns to urban forests, Walker covers seed reproduction, the nutritive function of xylem and phloem tubes, leaf biology, environmental symbiosis, and forest habitats. Mckay’s gouache illustrations emphasize stylized charm over visual verisimilitude, sidestepping opportunities to visually extend the distilled text. A tree’s concentric growth circles, well explained in the backmatter, get a cartoonish treatment, while the “Leaf Laboratories” section chiefly presents leaves as indistinguishable blobs on branches. Simple labels might have allayed confusion between xylem tubes and phloem tubes. People in treehouses and parks are diverse. An excellent six-page informational section expands on the text’s 10 topic areas. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Despite some misalignment between form and content, an attractive, informative presentation. (timeline, information on trees, author’s note, glossary, bibliography, books, websites) (Informational picture book/poetry. 6-9)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1550-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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
A solid addition to the climate-change canon for those interested in saving a fragile world.
Dire consequences attend the unchecked melting of Arctic sea ice.
The more the ice melts, the more the Arctic climate changes. The more that air and ground temperatures rise, the more the frozen ecosystem’s inhabitants, including plants and insects, suffer from dwindling habitats; threats to food sources; and imbalances in feeding, breeding, and migration patterns. Solid information is packed into this brief work that lucidly raises the alarm for young readers, with each spread capturing the thrilling, chilling north in rich, dramatic blue swathes of seawater set off by icy glaciers and snowdrifts. Child-friendly, occasionally cluttered paintings, some with labels, highlight polar bears and their Arctic neighbors; a spread of vignettes illustrates how changes to plant life affect wildlife. One labeled spread explains all: As seawater warms, it absorbs sunlight, thus heating more water and melting more ice. One poignant spread depicts a bewildered polar bear mom, eyeing readers and flanked by her twin cubs, drifting on a shrinking ice floe. Two human children, one brown-skinned and one pale, occasionally appear in the illustrations as well. The book ends on a hopeful note, reassuring youngsters that “we still have time to save polar bears and slow the loss of Arctic ice.” A note in the backmatter offers conservation tips.
A solid addition to the climate-change canon for those interested in saving a fragile world. (author’s note, bibliography, additional sources) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 28, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-250-14319-8
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2018
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