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
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.
As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.
Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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