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WE ARE ONE

HOW THE WORLD ADDS UP

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

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I AM MONEY

An educational and uplifting foundation in financial mindsets and rules of thumb.

A walking, talking billfold of cash takes readers through the ins and outs of money.

Held together by a shiny gold clip and often accompanied by anthropomorphic coins, our narrator is a smiley, positive presence who eats pizza and rides a bike, just like us! Money explains its value as well as how to earn it (mowing lawns, selling lemonade), spend it, save it, and share it. The narrator uses clothing as a metaphor to explain different forms of money—sometimes the narrator dons “digital and crypto clothes,” though the author doesn’t elaborate on these. A similar reference to “credit card coats” is accompanied by a warning on overspending. Most commendable are reminders of readers' self-worth: Though readers are encouraged to invest in themselves, it’s made abundantly clear that money does not confer value to people. A message about earning interest is followed by a wordless page of coins and bills passing by a bank and a credit union—concepts that are a bit too advanced to describe in detail for this book’s audience. For now, tracking savings in a clear jar (not a piggy bank) is advanced enough. A guinea pig appears throughout the cheerful, textured art, making a suitably cute sidekick for the narrator.

An educational and uplifting foundation in financial mindsets and rules of thumb. (money tips) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024

ISBN: 9781728271262

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore

Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023

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SNACK, SNOOZE, SKEDADDLE

HOW ANIMALS GET READY FOR WINTER

A good choice for a late fall storytime.

Animal behaviors change as they prepare to face the winter.

Migrate, hibernate, or tolerate. With smooth rhymes and jaunty illustrations, Salas and Gévry introduce three strategies animals use for coping with winter cold. The author’s long experience in imparting information to young readers is evident in her selection of familiar animals and in her presentation. Spread by spread she introduces her examples, preparing in fall and surviving in winter. She describes two types of migration: Hummingbirds and monarchs fly, and blue whales travel to the warmth of the south; earthworms burrow deeper into the earth. Without using technical words, she introduces four forms of hibernation—chipmunks nap and snack; bears mainly sleep; Northern wood frogs become an “icy pop,” frozen until spring; and normally solitary garter snakes snuggle together in huge masses. Those who can tolerate the winter still change behavior. Mice store food and travel in tunnels under the snow; moose grow a warmer kind of fur; the red fox dives into the snow to catch small mammals (like those mice); and humans put on warm clothes and play. The animals in the soft pastel illustrations are recognizable, more cuddly than realistic, and quite appealing; their habitats are stylized. The humans represent varied ethnicities. Each page includes two levels of text, and there’s further information in the extensive backmatter. Pair with Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen’s Winter Bees (2014).

A good choice for a late fall storytime. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5415-2900-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

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