An eye-glazing overview.
A quick summary of sleep’s purposes, stages, and disorders, with advice about how to get more of it.
Bjazevich starts off in an informational rush with mentions of “circadian rhythms,” “homeostatic sleep drive,” and the brain’s “suprachiasmatic nucleus” on the very first page—but then goes on to dish out a mishmash of qualified claims and broad generalities: “Reduced health risks” are one of sleep’s “potential benefits” and that it’s “not uncommon” for people who are deaf to sign in their sleep. Late naps, caffeinated drinks, or electronic devices used too close to bedtime “might make sleeping more difficult.” Outdoor exercise “may improve and promote sleep.” Alarmingly, childhood growth “could be slowed or stunted” by a consistent lack of down time. Diabetes and obesity have also been linked to too little sleep…but also too much (“more research is needed.” No kidding). Along with splashes of bright color, Eigner poses a large cast of figures, mostly children, all of whom range in skin tone, bedding down or posing as simplified anatomical models. The author does broaden her scope with closing pages of sleeping animals and of different types of beds throughout history and all over the world, from futons to hammocks. Still, young readers (or their parents) in search of practical and effective ways to achieve healthy sleep habits will come away with a clear impression that science has little to offer beyond equivocations.
An eye-glazing overview. (glossary, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781638191728
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bushel & Peck Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
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
The result of this Grammy-nominated harpist’s effort to simplify a complex scientific subject is a medley of environmental...
Pollution, energy use, and simply throwing things away have created a worldwide mess that kids can help clean up with an eight-step action plan.
This well-meant offering introduces the idea of the interconnectedness of human activities and the state of our world. We’re all affected by pollution. Our need for energy results in a variety of current problems: unclean air, melting ice caps, rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns. We should use less. Trash doesn’t vanish; it must be burned or dumped. We should also recycle. This helps save trees, which “eat up pollution.” Colorful, unsophisticated cartoons show a bunny magician who cannot make trash disappear and a diverse array of young people who can. The author’s strong message is undercut by end matter that twice states that “many scientists” consider climate change to be caused by global warming. A National Academy of Sciences survey in 2010 showed an overwhelming consensus: 97 percent. Inspired by her concern for the environment, Kondonassis wrote this when she was unable to find an appropriate book that would explain to her young daughter why she should care. Too bad she missed Kim Michelle Toft’s The World That We Want (2005) or Todd Parr’s The Earth Book (2010).
The result of this Grammy-nominated harpist’s effort to simplify a complex scientific subject is a medley of environmental tweets. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61608-588-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2012
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