Share with very young children to nourish their senses of wonder.
The Sayres team up to celebrate warbler migration.
“In spring, as you nightly nap, / warblers flap / over oceans, lakes, / and mountains.” Striking photographs from both Sayres and a lyrical text introduce a favorite spectacle of the birding world. Each spring, these tiny birds travel north, some as far as Canada, returning to wintering grounds in the southeastern U.S. and Central and South America in fall. Touching lightly on the hazards the birds might encounter, the text emphasizes their beauty, variety, and behavior along the way. “Then bedraggled, they drop. / A refueling stop. / They must find food / or die.” The poem is broken up into words and short phrases set directly in contrasting type on the clearly reproduced images, which range from broad landscapes to impressive close-ups, some filling a page or a spread, others in a neatly arranged group. Four pages of expository backmatter for more able readers generally cover the wheres, whys, and hows of migration and attracting these travelers to your own garden. As there is so much information, some birding readers may find it surprising that the general term “warbler” is used throughout, even in the backmatter, although the book is specifically about New World wood warblers. Frustratingly for those who approach their world with a classifying mind, the photos have no labels, although identifications will be available on April Pulley Sayre’s website.
Share with very young children to nourish their senses of wonder. (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-4829-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 29, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
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
A boon for beaver storytimes or young naturalists living near beaver streams.
Readers learn about a keystone species and the habitat they create.
In a “House That Jack Built” style (though minus the cumulative repetition), Sonenshine introduces children to beavers. Beginning with a beaver who’s just gnawed down a willow near their lodge, the author moves on to the dam that blocks the stream and protects their domed home and then to the yearlings that are working to repair it with sticks and mud. Muskrats and a musk turtle take advantage of the safety of the beavers’ lodge, while Coyote tries (and fails) to breach it. Then the book turns to other animals that enjoy the benefits of the pond the beavers have created: goose, ducklings, heron, moose. While the beavers aren’t in all these illustrations, evidence of them is. And then suddenly a flood takes out both the dam and the beavers’ lodge. So, the beavers move upstream to find a new spot to dam and build again, coming full circle back to the beginning of the book. Hunter’s ink-and–colored pencil illustrations have a scratchy style that is well suited to the beavers’ pelts, their watery surroundings, and the other animals that share their habitat. Careful observers will be well rewarded by the tiny details. Beavers are mostly nocturnal, which isn’t always faithfully depicted by Hunter. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A boon for beaver storytimes or young naturalists living near beaver streams. (beaver facts, glossary, further resources) (Informational picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1868-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
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