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HAWKS KETTLE, PUFFINS WHEEL

AND OTHER POEMS OF BIRDS IN FLIGHT

A fresh and original approach to the study of birds and words.

Poetry and prose combine to introduce distinctive ways birds move through the air.

“Always, and in their own special ways, / birds are on the move.” Writer Vande Griek repeats this line in the poems that begin and end this title, which introduces young readers and listeners to some specialized vocabulary used to describe bird movements as well as some interesting behaviors of 12 specific species, from Atlantic puffins to wood pewees. Each spread features a different species, usually shown as groups in flight against the background of a sky and some stylized scenery. Set on the illustration are both a poem and a paragraph of explanatory text. The free-verse poetry uses many techniques: repeated sounds and lines, internal rhymes, measured meter, and even shapes. It begs to be read aloud. These words introduce birds who might be encountered in at least some parts of North America, some splendid new vocabulary (peregrines “stoop," crows “mob," starlings move in “murmurations”), and a simplified explanation of the mechanics of flight. Hoffmann’s natural-hued illustrations amplify the word-pictures. His paintings have clear angular lines, emphasizing the idea of flight. They also lead readers forward to the next page. Backmatter includes further information about each species, including where they can be found, details of their feathers, and a helpful glossary.

A fresh and original approach to the study of birds and words. (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-77138-995-2

Page Count: 36

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

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1001 BEES

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.

This book is buzzing with trivia.

Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)

Pub Date: May 18, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021

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OVER AND UNDER THE WAVES

From the Over and Under series

More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature.

In a new entry in the Over and Under series, a paddleboarder glimpses humpback whales leaping, floats over a populous kelp forest, and explores life on a beach and in a tide pool.

In this tale inspired by Messner’s experiences in Monterey Bay in California, a young tan-skinned narrator, along with their light-skinned mom and tan-skinned dad, observes in quiet, lyrical language sights and sounds above and below the sea’s serene surface. Switching perspectives and angles of view and often leaving the family’s red paddleboards just tiny dots bobbing on distant swells, Neal’s broad seascapes depict in precise detail bat stars and anchovies, kelp bass, and sea otters going about their business amid rocky formations and the swaying fronds of kelp…and, further out, graceful moon jellies and—thrillingly—massive whales in open waters beneath gliding pelicans and other shorebirds. After returning to the beach at day’s end to search for shells and to spot anemones and decorator crabs, the child ends with nighttime dreams of stars in the sky meeting stars in the sea. Appended nature notes on kelp and 21 other types of sealife fill in details about patterns and relationships in this rich ecosystem. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 6-9)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-79720-347-8

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022

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