An engaging, prismatic kids’ book.
A picture book that takes a vivid look at the colors that surround us.
People take colors for granted. After all, how often does one stop to observe a finely shaded sunset, or the deep, juicy red hue of a perfectly plump tomato? This gorgeously written children’s book explores the colors of the world by detailing flora and fauna of every shade of the rainbow (as well as the rainbow itself). Bold images exemplify each color, from red foxes to lavender amethysts. The book also covers hues that may be difficult to see (such as white wolves against snow), and colors that blend together (such as the blush pink of a flamingo). Readers also learn about instances in which nature changes colors, as when leaves turn from green to red and brown in the autumn chill, or when the sky turns from blue to gray when a storm approaches. Simon’s (Earth’s Moon, 2014, etc.) and Nealon’s book doesn’t disappoint. It’s not an easy task to craft a children’s science book that’s comprehensible to younger readers without ever feeling dumbed-down. The authors, though, are masters when it comes to walking this fine line—they know their audience, and they know how to speak to it. They accompany their text with vibrant photos, boasting such images as fiery hot lava spilling over a mountainside; the golden orange markings of a monarch butterfly; the verdant hue of a tall fir tree; and the crisp blue of an iceberg. The authors pepper the tale with questions that add an air of interactivity, encouraging further discussion between parents and children: “Can you spot three indigos? More? / What else will you find when you explore?” These inquiries urge readers young and old to press on, and perhaps venture outdoors for more colorful research of their own. The book’s focus on education may also make it an asset to schools.
An engaging, prismatic kids’ book.Pub Date: June 8, 2014
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 17
Publisher: StarWalk Kids Media
Review Posted Online: Oct. 27, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A spectacular return to a magical world.
Following the events of Impossible Creatures (2024), a devoted Guardian teams up with a brave princess to fight her power-hungry uncle and save the Archipelago’s dragons from a strange new threat.
Jacques the dragon summons Christopher Forrester back to the Archipelago from the human world: Dragons are dying, and no one knows why. Meanwhile, on the island of Dousha, Princess Anya’s grandfather, King Halam, has been murdered, and her father accused—though she knows he’s innocent. When Christopher and Anya take refuge on the islet of Glimt, the Berserker Nighthand helps them see how their twin missions to save the dragons and free Anya’s father are connected. They work together to create an antidote for the poison that’s killing the dragons and to keep Anya and her father safe from her murderous uncle. Meanwhile, Nighthand and Irian, the part-nereid ocean scholar, pursue their own important secret mission. Divided into three parts—“Castle,” “Dragons,” and “Revenge”—and containing elements of fairy tales, fantasy, and Shakespeare, this story continues the storyline established in the series opener, yet because it introduces new characters and obstacles, it could also stand alone. Dark-blond Anya (“five feet tall and all of it claws”) is a match for white-presenting Christopher, who, though he still misses Mal, finds that “it made a difference to have someone to move through the world with again. A friend changed the feel of the universe.” Mackenzie’s delicate, otherworldly art adorns the text.
A spectacular return to a magical world. (map, bestiary) (Fantasy. 10-15)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780593809907
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
PROFILES
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
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