A luminous tribute befitting a brilliant trailblazer.
A giant among geologists breaks new ground.
Ursula Marvin (1921-2018) was an intrepid adventurer from the start. A Vermonter by birth, she skied over icy potato fields and marveled at the moonlit mountains beyond, positive her future held something far more exciting than the humdrum tedium of scientific inquiry. But by the time she entered college, the field of planetary geology had captivated Marvin, and she was entranced by the information that rare earth minerals and moon rocks could communicate. Her curiosity about these other worlds brought Marvin to the ends of ours. Sharp, capable, and undeterred by the sexist stumbling blocks meant to thwart her, Marvin became the first female scientist to hunt the harsh landscape of Antarctica for meteorites, chasing the adventure she’d hungered for since childhood. But achievement at such scale is rarely won without adversity, and this feat was no different. Hampered by environmental challenges and plagued by self-doubt, Marvin nevertheless stayed the course, eventually becoming the preeminent expert on the first meteorite discovered on Earth and, ultimately, the much-deserving namesake of geological wonders earthside and beyond. Wallace’s text uses technical terms in context and renders the less glamorous labor that makes thrilling scientific discovery possible. Charming details peppered throughout add a personal texture to Marvin’s impressive figure. Carpenter delivers stunning visuals to match, her two-page spread capturing the glow of the midnight sun especially enchanting.
A luminous tribute befitting a brilliant trailblazer. (author’s note, excerpts from Marvin’s journals, facts about Antarctica, timeline, quote sources, bibliography, photos) (Picture-book biography. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781534493339
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses.
An NBA star pays tribute to the influence of his grandfather.
In the same vein as his Long Shot (2009), illustrated by Frank Morrison, this latest from Paul prioritizes values and character: “My granddad Papa Chilly had dreams that came true,” he writes, “so maybe if I listen and watch him, / mine will too.” So it is that the wide-eyed Black child in the simply drawn illustrations rises early to get to the playground hoops before anyone else, watches his elder working hard and respecting others, hears him cheering along with the rest of the family from the stands during games, and recalls in a prose afterword that his grandfather wasn’t one to lecture but taught by example. Paul mentions in both the text and the backmatter that Papa Chilly was the first African American to own a service station in North Carolina (his presumed dream) but not that he was killed in a robbery, which has the effect of keeping the overall tone positive and the instructional content one-dimensional. Figures in the pictures are mostly dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Blandly inspirational fare made to evoke equally shrink-wrapped responses. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-81003-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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