An important wake-up call to help stem the decline of these monarchs of the skies.
Uniting the three countries of North America is the majestic, jewellike monarch butterfly.
This engaging book highlights the fascinating life cycle of these striking insects and follows the nearly 3,000-mile kaleidoscopic journey millions of monarchs make from Canada and the United States to central Mexico. The flow of information is smooth and facilitates intuitive learning in an attention-grabbing format. Interspersed with succinct and easily digestible miniparagraphs are magnified inserts and unifying factoids in orange and yellow bubbles. The full-page diagrams of the caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly are inviting and descriptive. Hobbie’s brief overview of the milkweed ecosystem and the monarch predators that are part of it is perfect for initiating classroom discussion. She discusses how the arriving butterflies coincide with Mexico’s Day of the Dead and are considered “a symbol of the spirits of the dead coming back to visit.” Baumert’s precise and exquisite illustrations flawlessly support and enhance the text. Her vibrant color palette slowly evolves from the bright greens of spring and monarch caterpillars to the oranges of fall and migrating butterflies. The final section describes the dangers threatening the monarchs’ survival, including loss of habitat, and provides suggested projects for citizen scientists. Also included are advocacy opportunities, enrichment activities, a glossary, and websites. Unfortunately, in an apparent oversight, Hobbie relocates Mexico to Central America in the backmatter. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
An important wake-up call to help stem the decline of these monarchs of the skies. (Informational picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63586-289-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
Another playful imagination-stretcher.
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)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781339049052
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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