An appealing addition to any nature-themed collection.
A longtime wildlife photographer presents an album of her photographs of baby animals eating.
Eszterhas, who has observed and photographed animals around the world, strings these irresistible images together with short explanations of what and how they’re eating. Brown bears, koalas, jackals, penguins, egrets, cheetahs, monkeys and chimpanzees, giraffes, warthogs, raccoons, orangutans, and sloths—the animals range from the familiar to the unusual, at least in a book for very young readers. Most of the pictures seem to have been taken in the wild, and often they include a parent: a mother brown bear giving her cub a fish; monkeys, chimps, and warthogs nursing from their mothers; father jackals and penguins regurgitating food for their offspring. The images expand to fill most spreads, and there are occasional insets to vary the design. A final spread introduces the photographer and seven more animals, including an orphaned serval kitten the author bottle-fed (as she recounted in Moto and Me, 2017). The descriptions are short and use appropriate vocabulary, including specialized terminology for the animal babies. The book could be shared one-on-one with even very young listeners, who will be entranced by the pictures and informed by the read-aloud text.
An appealing addition to any nature-themed collection. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77147-317-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018
Budding zoologists take note.
Animals shout out their habitat names, sometimes finding striking similarities.
In a bouncy follow-up to I Was Born a Baby (2022), Fleming and Scott employ the same format, this time exploring animal homes. Wide-eyed, curious creatures peer out from their dwellings, each announcing where they live. Whenever there is a name that some share (such as nest), one of the animals interrupts to express shock: “Are you for SURE? I had NO clue!” Others (like an owl, a seal, and a gorilla) chime in: “Mine’s a nest!” “Mine’s a nest!” “Mine’s a nest, too!” A salamander pipes up: “I live in a bog.” Then a gopher pokes out from the soil, exclaiming, “I live in a mound.” A sleepy groundhog drawls from below, “My place is a burrow hidden in the ground.” The repeated (and dramatically incredulous) refrain helps anchor the story and highlights similarities. There are a variety of animals, in a variety of settings, each with its own vocabulary opportunity. Alas, the animals are not labeled on the pages, but the endpapers provide names, arranged by environments. Ultimately, a diverse set of tots (and their canine and feline friends) showcase the best home of all—a cozy bed, indoors. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Budding zoologists take note. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 18, 2023
ISBN: 9780063205215
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
Adults looking for an easy entry into this subject will not be disappointed.
This book presents a simplified explanation of the role the atmosphere plays in controlling climate.
The authors present a planet as a ball and its atmosphere as a blanket that envelops the ball. If the blanket is thick, the planet will be hot, as is the case for Venus. If the blanket is thin, the planet is cold, as with Mars. Planet Earth has a blanket that traps “just the right amount of heat.” The authors explain trees, animals, and oceans are part of what makes Earth’s atmosphere “just right.” “But…Uh-oh! People on Earth are changing the blanket!” The book goes on to explain how some human activities are sending “greenhouse gases” into the atmosphere, thus “making the blanket heavier and thicker” and “making Earth feel unwell.” In the case of a planet feeling unwell, what would the symptoms be? Sea-level rises that lead to erosion, flooding, and island loss, along with extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, blizzards, and wildfires. Ending on a constructive note, the authors name a few of the remedies to “help our Earth before it’s too late!” By using the blanket analogy, alongside simple and clear illustrations, this otherwise complex topic becomes very accessible to young children, though caregivers will need to help with the specialized vocabulary.
Adults looking for an easy entry into this subject will not be disappointed. (Board book. 3-4)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8082-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
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