Budding zoologists will be strongly tempted to join in.
A local park turns out to be rich in wildlife as two young “community scientists” learn from a day of organized observation and discovery.
Joining teams of volunteers led by expert naturalists, cousins Ava and Gabriel compete for sightings as they comb open woodlands and underbrush for animal species. Young readers will have no trouble following along and understanding the rules and procedures, not to mention keeping track of finds, because along with many having their names called out in the dialogue, each accurately rendered bird, insect, and other creature is numbered in the pictures and identified in a running side list. By day’s end, 84 types of animals have been cataloged, from a mosquito and pillbug (“It’s a crustacean. Did you know some bugs are related to lobsters?”) to white-tailed deer and an elusive blue-spotted salamander. Along with a version of the list broken down by category (amphibians, reptiles, birds, etc.) that serves as an index, Richmond appends both expanded nature notes and an invitation to take part in similar community “biodiversity counts” (also referred to as “Bioblitzes”), explaining that they are “important tools for learning about the health and biodiversity of an area.” Ava and Gabriel are brown-skinned; the human figures in Coleman’s expansive outdoor scenes are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Budding zoologists will be strongly tempted to join in. (resource list) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-68263-311-3
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
The story feels a bit contrived, but Ada will be a welcome addition to the small circle of science-loving girls in the...
Using science and technology, third-grader Ada Lace kicks off her new series by solving a mystery even with her leg in a cast.
Temporarily housebound after a badly executed bungee jump, Ada uses binoculars to document the ecosystem of her new neighborhood in San Francisco. She records her observations in a field journal, a project that intrigues new friend Nina, who lives nearby. When they see that Ms. Reed’s dog, Marguerite, is missing, they leap to the conclusion that it has been stolen. Nina does the legwork and Ada provides the technology for their search for the dognapper. Story-crafting takes a back seat to scene-setting in this series kickoff that introduces the major players. As part of the series formula, science topics and gadgetry are integrated into the stories and further explained in a “Behind the Science” afterword. This installment incorporates drones, a wireless camera, gecko gloves, and the Turing test as well as the concept of an ecosystem. There are no ethnic indicators in the text, but the illustrations reveal that Ada, her family, and bratty neighbor Milton are white; Nina appears to be Southeast Asian; and Mr. Peebles, an inventor who lives nearby, is black.
The story feels a bit contrived, but Ada will be a welcome addition to the small circle of science-loving girls in the chapter-book world. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 29, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8599-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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
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