A charming beginning look at North American migration flyways.
Nelson gives readers a peek at the routes that birds follow as they migrate each year.
In spring, birds of all kinds make their nests and lay eggs. The author makes clear the diversity of birds and their habits and habitats, describing birds that nest in trees or by the water, amid reeds or in tree cavities, and the babies are varied, too: “Bald ones, fuzzy ones, / plump and round / and long and leggy ones.” Each learns their own individual call, some learn to run or swim or dive, and eventually, “every baby learns to fly!” In autumn, the birds fly south, remaining “until they feel the pull of / springtime.” This book is focused on the Mississippi Flyway, though the facts in general hold for the Atlantic, Central, and Pacific as well. But the book does not specify that not all birds migrate, nor do all of them head for the ocean, though the focus and all the named species are ducks and waterfowl: geese, herons, egrets, loons, etc. Hanisch’s illustrations, a combination of pencils, water-based paint, and digital techniques, are delightful, giving readers lifelike depictions of the birds with dabs of colors and lines. The birds’ eyes can sometimes be too large for their heads, though, giving them a bug-eyed appearance. Backmatter provides more facts about flyways and each of the 12 species featured. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A charming beginning look at North American migration flyways. (sources, further reading) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 8, 2023
ISBN: 9781646866335
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on.
Sharpson offers so-fish-ticated readers a heads up about the true terror of the seas.
The title says it all. Our unseen narrator is just fine with other animals: mammals. Reptiles. Even birds. But fish? Don’t trust them! First off, the rules always seem to change with fish. Some live in fresh water; some reside in salt water. Some have gills, while others have lungs. You can never see what they’re up to, since they hang out underwater, and they’re always eating those poor, innocent crabs. Soon, the narrator introduces readers to Jeff, a vacant-eyed yellow fish—but don’t be fooled! Jeff’s “the craftiest fish of all.” All fish are, apparently, hellbent on world domination, the narrator warns. “DON’T TRUST FISH!” Finally, at the tail end, we get a sly glimpse of our unreliable narrator. Readers needn’t be ichthyologists to appreciate Sharpson’s meticulous comic timing. (“Ships always sink at sea. They never sink on land. Isn’t that strange?”) His delightful text, filled to the brim with jokes that read aloud brilliantly, pairs perfectly with Santat’s art, which shifts between extreme realism and goofy hilarity. He also fills the book with his own clever gags (such as an image of Gilligan’s Island’s S.S. Minnow going down and a bottle of sauce labeled “Surly Chik’n Srir’racha’r”).
A ribald and uproarious warning to those unschooled in fishy goings-on. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780593616673
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.
Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”
Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.
A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 19, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
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