Cogent answerzz to a range of common puzzzlers.
Fly Guy and his human best bud, Buzz, present answers to over 50 science questions, including “Why are wheels round?” and “Why do my feet smell?”
The latter query actually kicks off the session, as the first section, “The Buzz on Buzz!” covers bodily functions and products with simple but frank answers. These are accompanied by commentary from the two hosts in cartoon panels and large (discreet) photos of relevant body parts and a diverse cast of children mugging cutely for the camera. Subsequent sections cover in the same ways select topics in animal behavior (such as how scientists use hovering drone “snotbots” to study whale respiration), in nature and space, and, in a final grab bag, questions ranging from why garbage smells to why the White House is white. Arnold warns against “germs” but never specifically explains what they are, and some of his instructions for the simple projects and activities inserted in each section are confusingly terse. Nevertheless, he does introduce several fundamental processes, such as photosynthesis, and, along with proper admissions that we don’t really understand why we yawn, hiccup, or sleep, offers accurate and enlightening explanations for why cats get stuck in trees (it has to do with the way their claws curve), why ears make earwax, and plenty of other head-scratchers.
Cogent answerzz to a range of common puzzzlers. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-05318-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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