A limited but lively once-over for young dinophiles.
The resident expert of PBS Kids’ Dinosaur Train explains what fossil hunters do and study.
Sampson’s animated descriptions of where fossils are found, how paleontologists dig them up and transport them to museums for reconstruction and research, and what can be learned about dino diets and prehistoric habitats from teeth or other features offer a simplified but enticing view of the work and some of its rewards. Though the author leaves out any direct mention of the academic training that professional paleontologists must undergo, he mentions several techniques and activities that won’t be beyond even younger amateurs—and also touts the general value of getting outdoors and “playing in nature.” Children with a modicum of familiarity with the subject will find the exclamation mark–strewn text patronizing, and they will yawn at the hyped revelation at the end that turns out to be the less-than-fresh news that birds are dino descendants. The enthusiastic text is accompanied by photos of scientists (all apparently white, nearly all male) at work in field and lab, with occasional portraits of fleshed-out dinosaurs in prehistoric settings to crank up the drama.
A limited but lively once-over for young dinophiles. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4263-2728-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
A launch-pad fizzle.
Flaps and pull-tabs in assorted astro-scenes reveal several wonders of the universe as well as inside glimpses of observatories, rockets, a space suit, and the International Space Station.
Interactive features include a spinnable Milky Way, pop-up launches of Ariane and Soyuz rockets, a solar-system tour, visits to the surfaces of the moon and Mars, and cutaway views beneath long, thin flaps of an international array of launch vehicles. Despite these bells and whistles, this import is far from ready for liftoff. Not only has Antarctica somehow gone missing from the pop-up globe, but Baumann’s commentary (at least in Booker’s translation from the French original) shows more enthusiasm than strict attention to accuracy. Both Mercury and Venus are designated “hottest planet” (right answer: Venus); claims that there is no gravity in space and that black holes are a type of star are at best simplistic; and “we do not know what [other galaxies] actually look like” is nonsensical. Moreover, in a clumsy attempt to diversify the cast on a spread about astronaut training, Latyk gives an (evidently) Asian figure caricatured slit eyes and yellow skin.
A launch-pad fizzle. (Informational pop-up picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 979-1-02760-197-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A picture book combines the exuberance of children and the drama found in nature for a sly lesson on power-sharing. Henderson (Newborn, 1999, etc.) lands on the wide reaches of a windy beach where young Jim expansively flings wide his arms and claims “All this is mine!” So it seems until the wind blows in a gale so violent that it smashes objects and tears “through the dreams of people sleeping.” An eerie series of black-and-white paintings shows the white-capped waves breaking ever higher and crashing inland; these are so frightening that Jim cries out to his mother, “The sea! It’s coming!” Happily enough, Jim and his mother are able to run up the hill to a grandmother’s house where they weather the storm safely. The next time Jim speaks to the wind, on a much quieter beach, he whispers, “All this is yours.” Large type, appealing pastel illustrations, and a dose of proper perspective on humankind’s power over nature make this book a fine choice for story hours as well as nature collections. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7636-0904-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
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