Evergreen encouragement for young gardeners in the making.
As the seasons progress, a family passes down lessons in gardening.
“Grandpa told Mom, and Mom told me: The secret of a plant lives in every little seed.” As spring melts the winter snow, Grandpa, Mom, and a child garden as a pet dog and wildlife watch closely. Readers are told how to best care for seeds; a labeled page of garden tools will be especially useful. The complexity of what happens under the soil is shown in one stunning illustration, and the colors change to vibrant spring tones as the flowers blossom. “Hungry guests” arrive, such as bees and butterflies, as well as spiders that protect plants from pests. Even as said pests make an appearance—Japanese beetles, brown marmorated stink bugs, and more—the art is still adorable, showing a solution to the problem as the child sprays “sticky, soapy water.” Fall colors take over again as the book draws to a close. With backmatter explaining more about seeds and what to watch out for when you’re gardening, the book is a solid how-to, with cyclic storytelling and an appealing art style. It may not be the first of its kind but it’s a welcome tale. Mom, Grandpa, and the child are light-skinned; Mom and the child have dark hair, while Grandpa is gray-haired. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Evergreen encouragement for young gardeners in the making. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 9781534112698
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude.
A deceptively simple, visually appealing, comprehensive explanation of volcanoes.
Gibbons packs an impressive number of facts into this browsable nonfiction picture book. The text begins with the awe of a volcanic eruption: “The ground begins to rumble…ash, hot lava and rock, and gases shoot up into the air.” Diagrams of the Earth’s structural layers—inner and outer core, mantle, and crust—undergird a discussion about why volcanoes occur. Simple maps of the Earth’s seven major tectonic plates show where volcanoes are likeliest to develop. Other spreads with bright, clearly labeled illustrations cover intriguing subtopics: four types of volcanoes and how they erupt; underwater volcanoes; well-known volcanoes and historic volcanic eruptions around the world; how to be safe in the vicinity of a volcano; and the work of scientists studying volcanoes and helping to predict eruptions. A page of eight facts about volcanoes wraps things up. The straightforward, concise prose will be easy for young readers to follow. As always, Gibbons manages to present a great deal of information in a compact form.
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4569-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
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
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