Leaves a few tailings but mines its vast topic expertly.
Scattering sheaves of high-quality photos, a geologist digs into the wonderful world of rocks.
Styling himself “The Dirtmeister,” Tomecek, with the assistance of geology educator Lucarelli, enthusiastically squires readers through a tour of geology and geophysical processes, explaining how to understand what rocks communicate about our planet’s history, composition, and surface features. Pausing for closer looks at select minerals and phenomena as he goes, he covers basic topics, from the rock cycle and plate tectonics to how we use rock and mineral resources—from marble and granite to concrete and fossil fuels—and closes by questioning a working geologist about her interests and experiences. All of this is lit up by sharp, intensely hued images ranging from large-scale natural vistas and digital cutaways to close-ups of intricate crystals, glittering gems, and gem-studded bling, fossils, and mineral specimens. Suggestions that the use of some resources might be problematic get uneven play; the author mentions the environmental effects of fossil fuel use but not of strip mining and likewise doesn’t acknowledge the horrific human cost of blood diamonds. The eye-catching visuals draw in readers, and the easy-to-navigate layout makes it suitable for casual browsers as well as those looking for a more in-depth reading experience.
Leaves a few tailings but mines its vast topic expertly. (glossary, lists of sites and resources, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 10-13)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3918-9
Page Count: 272
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
This survey of body systems tries too hard for a broad audience, mixing paragraphs of lines like, “Without bones we would just be bags of goop,” printed in slightly larger type, with brief but specific discussions of osteoblasts, myofibrils, peristalsis and like parts and functions. Seven single or double gatefolds allow the many simple, brightly painted illustrations space to range from thumbnail size to forearm-length. Many of the visuals offer inside and outside views of a multicultural cast—of children, by and large, though the sexual organs are shown on headless trunks and the final picture provides a peek inside a pregnant mother. Even if younger readers don’t stumble over the vocabulary while older ones reject the art as babyish, this isn’t going to make the top shelf; information is presented in a scattershot way, the text and pictures don’t consistently correspond—three muscles needed to kick a soccer ball are named but not depicted, for instance, and an entire tongue is labeled “taste bud”—and the closing resource list is both print only and partly adult. (glossary, bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-4027-7091-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
It’s not exactly an untold tale, but this new telling is worth the read.
A solid new entry in Mann’s exemplary tour of the modern world’s architectural wonders (The Taj Mahal, 2008, etc.).
Even sticking to the basic facts, as the author does, the story of how Lady Liberty was conceived, constructed and bestowed makes a compelling tale. Pointing to the disparate long-term outcomes of the American and French revolutions to explain why the U.S. system of government became so admired in France, Mann takes the statue from Edouard Laboulaye’s pie-in-the-sky proposal at a dinner party in 1865 to the massive opening ceremonies in 1886. Along the way, she highlights the techniques that sculptor Bartholdi used to scale up his ambitious model successfully and the long struggle against public indifference and skepticism on both sides of the Atlantic to fund both the monument itself and its base. Witschonke supplements an array of period photos and prints with full-page or larger painted reconstructions of Bartholdi’s studio and workshop, of the statue’s piecemeal creation and finally of the Lady herself, properly copper colored as she initially was, presiding over New York’s crowded harbor. As she still does.
It’s not exactly an untold tale, but this new telling is worth the read. (measurements, bibliography, "The New Colossus") (Nonfiction. 10-13)Pub Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-931414-43-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Mikaya Press
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2011
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