Immensely satisfying for young lovers of numbers and fascinating for everyone.
An engaging look at the component numbers in just about everything.
Hood uses simple rhymed couplets pitched to offer examples of single units composed of one to 10 separate parts. For instance, the number of acts found in each of Shakespeare’s plays, the number of dot positions in a Braille cell, and the colors of the rainbow are used for five, six, and seven. Yan’s bright, full-page illustrations in cartoon-animation style star a small, dark-haired, pale-skinned child with a diverse supporting cast of child and animal characters and give energy to every spread. A yellow panel runs across the bottom of all the pages with a longer explanatory text that includes details and further examples. “One sandwich requires two slices of bread. / Two vows make one marriage when friends want to wed,” reads the primary text. In the panel below, Hood quotes Justice Anthony Kennedy’s words in Obergefell v. Hodges: “In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were.” Though some of the references are likely to be new to the audience, the illustrations provide sufficient context to carry the meaning if not all the nuances. Backmatter includes sources for the facts as well as child-friendly sources for more information; happily, there’s also a collection of more examples for each of the first 10 integers, including the names of shapes for triangles through decagons.
Immensely satisfying for young lovers of numbers and fascinating for everyone. (Informational picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0114-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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
A fun St. Patrick’s Day read-aloud.
Symbols of Ireland lead a jaunty tour through the ABCs.
Simple scenes with a surfeit of green shades populate this everything-but-the-kitchen-sink list about the “Day When Everyone Is Irish.” Saunders starts with the Apostle of Ireland (“another name for the real St. Patrick”) and ends on “zoom, which is what you’ll have to do if you want to catch a leprechaun.” In straightforward matching illustrations, racially diverse characters celebrate alongside light-skinned, red-headed leprechauns. (A breakout box states, “There are no female leprechauns.”) The exact number of leprechauns is unspecified, which might frustrate readers trying to meet the challenge to “find them all.” Joke enthusiasts will find some minor hits here (“What is a leprechaun’s favorite type of music? Shamrock ’n’ roll” and “What is a leprechaun’s favorite part of the house?” “The paddy-o”). The cheerful introductory text features plenty of exclamation points and even a few words in Gaeilge. Mixing fact and fiction, the text asserts that tiny Mill Ends Park in Portland, Oregon, “is the only place leprechauns can be found outside of Ireland.” Saunders briefly touches on history, with a quick look at the Irish struggle for independence.
A fun St. Patrick’s Day read-aloud. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781464217999
Page Count: 40
Publisher: duopress/Sourcebooks
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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