Quirky and illuminating.
Everything readers ever wanted to know about ladybugs, told by one who knows better than anyone.
Ladybugs play an important role in our world as eco-friendly pest controllers and plant pollinators—and they bring us good luck, according to lore. This Czech import opens as spring rolls in and a “loveliness” of seven-spot ladybugs wake from their winter slumber and stretch. One of them, Mariella, launches into an account of one year in the life of the species; our peppy guide points out their main body parts (elytra are the outer wings), notes where they like to live (everywhere except the polar regions), and covers the variety of ladybugs in the world, how they help humans’ gardens (by eating aphids), and the ways they defend themselves (by emitting a bad smell). Sekaninová folds in facts through Mariella’s cheery narration, discussing courtship, egg laying, hatching, and young ladybugs’ subsequent pupation and metamorphosis, all of which spans roughly a year. In Dao’s whimsical, heavily anthropomorphic illustrations, ladybugs roast aphids over a fire, push baby carriages, tussle over food, and settle into leaf hammocks for the night; with their dark faces, bright-red lips, and large eyes with prominent whites, some of these depictions inadvertently suggest racial stereotypes common throughout U.S. history. One spread called “Miracle of Nature” lays out the ladybug life cycle, each phase surrounded by a frame featuring joyous and quizzical insect faces, ideal for budding entomologists and garden aficionados.
Quirky and illuminating. (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: April 14, 2026
ISBN: 9788000078380
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Albatros Media
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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