by Tami Lehman-Wilzig & illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2011
An environmental theme unites nine Jewish bible stories enhanced with a variety of science and nature activities.
The religiously focused narrative begins by stating that God’s “perfectly planned planet” has been misused by humankind. Biblical figures such as Noah, Abraham, Joshua, Joseph and Moses demonstrate how the Bible is filled with ways to preserve and respect the earth. From Noah’s Ark and the flood, illustrating the beauty of the planet’s biodiversity, to Joshua’s need for sunlight to successfully defend the people of Gibeon with solar power, each scene is connected to a contemporary interpretation through introductory paragraphs and child-oriented projects. For example, noise pollution is addressed through the story of how Joshua destroyed Jericho first by surrounding the city walls with silence and then by using the loud trumpet blasts to crack the ramparts reinforcing the walls. This is followed by a simple science experiment that will observe whether two identical plants will grow differently under soothing classical and loud hard rock music. Biblical scenes done in gouache against white or pastel backgrounds alternate with easy-to-achieve directives in white panels set against a background that look like green handmade paper. A final “potpourri” section deals with biblical laws and practices for a plethora of eco-friendly practices. A credible, ethical approach to teaching environmental science and responsibility under a Judaic umbrella. (Religion. 5-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-5135-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Aug. 9, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
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by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2016
Cool and stylish.
Awards & Accolades
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New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
Her intellectual curiosity is surpassed only by her passion for science. But what to do about her messy experiments?
Ada is speechless until she turns 3. But once she learns how to break out of her crib, there’s no stopping the kinky-haired, brown-skinned girl. “She tore through the house on a fact-finding spree.” When she does start speaking, her favorite words are “why,” “how,” and “when.” Her parents, a fashion-forward black couple who sport a variety of trendy outfits, are dumbfounded, and her older brother can only point at her in astonishment. She amazes her friends with her experiments. Ada examines all the clocks in the house, studies the solar system, and analyzes all the smells she encounters. Fortunately, her parents stop her from putting the cat in the dryer, sending her instead to the Thinking Chair. But while there, she covers the wall with formulae. What can her parents do? Instead of punishing her passion, they decide to try to understand it. “It’s all in the heart of a young scientist.” Though her plot is negligible—Ada’s parents arguably change more than she does—Beaty delightfully advocates for girls in science in her now-trademark crisply rhyming text. Roberts’ illustrations, in watercolor, pen, and ink, manage to be both smart and silly; the page compositions artfully evoke the tumult of Ada’s curiosity, filling white backgrounds with questions and clutter.
Cool and stylish. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2137-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
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by David Wiesner ; illustrated by David Wiesner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020
A retro-futuristic romp, literally and figuratively screwy.
Robo-parents Diode and Lugnut present daughter Cathode with a new little brother—who requires, unfortunately, some assembly.
Arriving in pieces from some mechanistic version of Ikea, little Flange turns out to be a cute but complicated tyke who immediately falls apart…and then rockets uncontrollably about the room after an overconfident uncle tinkers with his basic design. As a squad of helpline techies and bevies of neighbors bearing sludge cake and like treats roll in, the cluttered and increasingly crowded scene deteriorates into madcap chaos—until at last Cath, with help from Roomba-like robodog Sprocket, stages an intervention by whisking the hapless new arrival off to a backyard workshop for a proper assembly and software update. “You’re such a good big sister!” warbles her frazzled mom. Wiesner’s robots display his characteristic clean lines and even hues but endearingly look like vaguely anthropomorphic piles of random jet-engine parts and old vacuum cleaners loosely connected by joints of armored cable. They roll hither and thither through neatly squared-off panels and pages in infectiously comical dismay. Even the end’s domestic tranquility lasts only until Cathode spots the little box buried in the bigger one’s packing material: “TWINS!” (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 52% of actual size.)
A retro-futuristic romp, literally and figuratively screwy. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-544-98731-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
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