THE SEARCH FOR THE GIANT ARCTIC JELLYFISH

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THE SEARCH FOR THE GIANT ARCTIC JELLYFISH

Name: THE SEARCH FOR THE GIANT ARCTIC JELLYFISH
Author: Chloe Savage
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2851-9

by Chloe Savage ; illustrated by Chloe Savage ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2023

Whimsical and wonderful.

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Will Dr. Morley ever see the elusive Arctic jellyfish she has pursued for months?

In this imagined exploration, Dr. Morley, a determined scientist, leads her crew through icy Arctic waters. They see narwhals, beluga whales, and orca, but where is the giant jellyfish? Savage’s ink and watercolor illustrations reveal the secret: The jellyfish has been following them all along. These playful images are the heart of this engaging story. For the most part, the ocean surface runs across the middle of the page so readers can see underwater as well as above. There are cutaway views of the ship showing a diverse crew of sailors and scientists (in matching white-and-red sweaters, heavy red outer clothing, or wetsuits; light-skinned Dr. Morley usually wears green) at work. The details repay careful attention. Savage’s precise artwork depicts the crew’s preparations, the clothing and equipment, and all the parts of the ship from the bridge and pilot to the compartments below, including an engine room, galley, bunks, and bathrooms. The people are always tiny, dwarfed by the animals. The crew encounters storms, the northern lights, giant shelves of ice, and, once, a polar bear. Most of these images are double-page spreads, varied occasionally by pages of panels that moderate the pace of the storytelling. This voyage may be fictional, but the frustrations—and joys—of scientific exploration are real indeed. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Whimsical and wonderful. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 6, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-5362-2851-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

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FIND MOMO EVERYWHERE

From the Find Momo series , Vol. 7

by Andrew Knapp ; illustrated by Andrew Knapp ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024

A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.

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Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.

Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.

A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024

ISBN: 9781683693864

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Quirk Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
LET'S FIND MOMO!
by Andrew Knapp ; photographed by Andrew Knapp

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WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL HOME!?

From the What if You Had . . .? series

by Sandra Markle ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2024

Another playful imagination-stretcher.

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Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.

As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.

Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)