An admirable, admiring introduction to an intriguing species.
A series of rhyming adjectives and colorful close-up representations introduce this eight-armed sea creature.
The author-illustrator team that produced the successful Countdown (2018) returns with a look at a remarkable, intelligent invertebrate. Slade’s two-level text is set directly on Gonzalez’s luminous illustrations of octopuses in action. The opening and closing spreads feature simple, descriptive sentences. On most of the other spreads, only a single word appears in larger type, accompanied by a paragraph in smaller type discussing relevant octopus behavior and traits and introducing one example from the roughly 300 octopus species. What distinguishes this title from similar ones for young readers is its suitability for reading aloud. The adjectives have a smooth, rhythmic quality: “hunting, building, gliding, changing, grasping, hiding. Luminous, dangerous, adventurous, and utterly tenacious!” The striking close-up artwork will show effectively to a group; older readers or more curious listeners will notice that the illustrations are specific to the examples described in the text. Slade covers feeding, anatomy, defense mechanisms, habitat, egg-laying, and life span of 12 different species including the familiar giant Pacific octopus, the mimic octopus, and the rare, deep-sea glowing sucker octopus, among other examples. In an afterword, the author adds even more information and includes photographs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An admirable, admiring introduction to an intriguing species. (acknowledgments, resources, selected bibliography) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781682633120
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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
A $16.99 Mother’s Day card for cat lovers.
The team of Costain and Lovšin (Daddies are Awesome, 2016) gives moms their due.
Rhyming verses tell of all the ways moms are amazing: “Mommies are magic. / They kiss away troubles… // …find gold in the sunlight / and rainbows in bubbles.” Moms are joyful—the best playmates. They are also fearless and will protect and soothe if you are scared. Clever moms know just what to do when you’re sad, sporty moms run and leap and climb, while tender moms cuddle. “My mommy’s so special. / I tell her each day… // … just how much I love her / in every way!” Whereas dads were illustrated with playful pups and grown-up dogs in the previous book, moms are shown as cats with their kittens in myriad colors, sizes, and breeds. Lovšin’s cats look as though they are smiling at each other in their fun, though several spreads are distractingly cut in half by the gutter. However delightful the presentation—the verse rolls fairly smoothly, and the cats are pretty cute—the overall effect is akin to a cream puff’s: very sweet and insubstantial.
A $16.99 Mother’s Day card for cat lovers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62779-651-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
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