Welcome evidence that paleontology is about more than dinosaurs.
Scientific investigation of a quarry in Nebraska reveals that 12 million years ago it was a very different world.
Science writer Stevens describes the process of finding and identifying a treasure trove of extinct animals—full skeletons—buried in volcanic ash from an eruption in today’s Idaho. There were rhinos, horses, camels, saber-toothed deer, birds, turtles, and even bone-crushing beardogs. She recounts the ways scientists have worked together and separately since 1953 to excavate specimens, date ash layers, deduce animal behavior, figure out their environment, and identify the volcano. Poison Ivy Quarry became Ashfall Fossil Beds State Historical Park, where fossils continue to be revealed but are left in place; visitors can observe the ongoing research. Realistically, she includes some of the hiccups and dead ends. She introduces scientists, interns, and students from various fields. Her clear exposition includes examples of the clues that inform their deductions about the animals and their environment, helping readers understand how these researchers arrive at their conclusions. She explains less-familiar techniques, concepts, and equipment such as topographic maps, radioactive dating, convergent evolution, scanning electron microscopes, plate tectonics, and ground-penetrating radar. Specialized vocabulary is printed in boldface and defined both in context and in a glossary. Huynh’s brush-and-ink paintings are an inspired addition to this account of the work of re-creating a long-distant history; there are also helpful black-and-white photographs.
Welcome evidence that paleontology is about more than dinosaurs. (author’s note, resources, acknowledgments) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: July 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26657-6
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality.
An examination of the history of Chinese American experiences.
Blackburn opens with a note to readers about growing up feeling invisible as a multicultural, biracial Chinese American. She notes the tremendous diversity of Chinese American history and writes that this book is a starting point for learning more. The evenly paced narrative starts with the earliest recorded arrival of the Chinese in America in 1834. A teenage girl, whose real name is unknown, arrived in New York Harbor with the Carnes brothers, merchants who imported Chinese goods and put her on display “like an animal in a circus.” The author then examines shifting laws, U.S. and global political and economic climates, and changing societal attitudes. The book introduces the highlighted people—including Yee Ah Tye, Wong Kim Ark, Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, and Vincent Chen—in relation to lawsuits or other transformative events; they also stand as examples for explaining concepts such as racial hierarchy and the model minority myth. Maps, photos, and documents are interspersed throughout. Chapters close with questions that encourage readers to think critically about systems of oppression, actively engage with the material, and draw connections to their own lives. Although the book covers a wide span of history, from the Gold Rush to the rise in anti-Asian hate during the Covid-19 pandemic, it thoroughly explains the various events. Blackburn doesn’t shy away from describing terrible setbacks, but she balances them with examples of solidarity and progress.
Deftly written and informative; a call for vigilance and equality. (resources, bibliography, image credits) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567630
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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