An inspiring and beautifully illustrated tale made all the better by its historical foundation.
It’s 1930, and an 11-year-old girl in Oxford, England, is about to make history.
McGinty first introduces readers to young Venetia Burney attentively listening to a school lesson about the solar system and quickly establishes Venetia’s voracious curiosity across disciplines. The elegant yet accessible text is packed with historical tidbits that contextualize her scientific contribution without overwhelming readers (for example, the fact that her well-connected grandfather had a friend in the Royal Astronomical Society who shared Venetia’s idea with the Lowell Observatory astronomers). Third-person present-tense narration draws readers into the exact moment when, upon hearing that a ninth planet has been discovered, Venetia suggests a name: “she knows that this planet, so far from the sun, must be frozen, dark, and lifeless…like…the underworld ruled in Roman myths by Neptune’s brother, Pluto.” Haidle’s layered, semiopaque washes of blue-gray ink with rusty red accents impart a gravitas that supports the significance of Venetia’s contribution and, echoing sepia-tone photos, emphasizes her place in history. The muted color palette somewhat obfuscates skin tones, but most people, including Venetia, appear white. The constellations on the endpapers immediately introduce the connection between mythology and astronomy that inspired Venetia, while stylized maps and diagrams of the solar system will enthrall readers of all ages.
An inspiring and beautifully illustrated tale made all the better by its historical foundation. (author’s note) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-6831-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
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
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.
Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.
Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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