Uneven fare for young logicians and anatomists.
Logic and, sometimes, prior knowledge come into play in solving this set of simple posers related to human anatomy, originally published in Catalan.
As in previous volumes the puzzles are set up as games of logic and deduction for competing players or teams, with solutions and point scores for difficulty hidden beneath flaps. Some are simple enough, such as an optical illusion featuring two rectangles that only seem to be different sizes. The titles and setups are often funny; for “A Study in Scarlet,” for example, a panicked patient’s red poop turns out to be caused not by internal bleeding but the beet and celery smoothie he consumed the day before. Often, though, young readers will likely be left more confused than amused due to the absence of crucial clues, or possibly translation issues. A statement that the cornea is the only body part without blood vessels leaves one young sherlock’s guess about hair unanswered, for instance, and on a section devoted to reproduction, a grinning sperm cell named “ProtoPablito-18754” beats the competition to make eye contact with smiling egg “ProtoMartita-1” but then says “I’m leaving!” without any mention or sign of an actual union. In Escandell’s droll duotone illustrations, most human faces are line drawings and so mostly as white as the paper, but some do show variation in skin tones.
Uneven fare for young logicians and anatomists. (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781797233024
Page Count: 60
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
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
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