Engaging, attractive, and informative, a good choice for group storytime as well as one-on-one sharing.
Identify birds by their particularly distinguishable body parts.
A question-and-answer game asks young readers and listeners to recognize familiar birds, introducing a variety of species from around the world. From head (the tufted “ears” of a great horned owl) to tail (a peacock), this inviting title presents a pleasing variety of species. Bird by bird the author asks “What bird has a head [beak, eyes, body, wings, legs, feet, and tail] like this?” on one double-page spread, with a close-up of the feature under examination. After the page turn, a second spread names the bird and adds a paragraph about the utility of the specific feature in the bird’s life. Sometimes a specific species is named (the horned owl, bald eagle, arctic tern, blue-footed booby); some are given only general names: hummingbird (it’s ruby-throated), kiwi, flamingo, peacock. Moriya’s colorful illustrations, digitally created but reminiscent of Steve Jenkins’ cut-and-torn–paper images, show first the recognizable body part, set on white space, and then the whole bird in its natural environment. Most of these birds will appear again and again in children’s books, which makes this a helpful introduction. Two pages of aftermatter introduce eight other familiar and identifiable birds and describe a specific feature—again with a head-to-tail organization. Fourth in the creators’ Head to Tail series (after dinosaurs, ocean animals, and bugs), this is equally appealing.
Engaging, attractive, and informative, a good choice for group storytime as well as one-on-one sharing. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77138-925-9
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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 solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.
Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.
Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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