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WHY?

A SCIENCEY, RHYMEY GUIDE TO RAINBOWS

A bit of science presented with love and joy. Charming.

Everything in the world is new and amazing and sparks wonder in young children.

Dad points out a beautiful rainbow as he walks with his little girl and tells her that rainbows are seen when the sun comes out after it rains. His daughter is wonderstruck and curiously asks, “Why?” That’s only the beginning. Dad’s explanations about color, light refraction, wavelengths, and even the “photon quantum field” grow deeper, more scientific and detailed, only to be greeted with yet another “why?” from the child. Dad grows extremely anxious as he sweats with nerves and is driven to tears endeavoring to satisfy his little girl’s endless curiosity while she seems to delight in the information, embracing it with joy even though it is way above her understanding. She becomes aware of his discomfort and lets him know how much she appreciates him. Then she spots something else that readers know will definitely elicit that question again. The book’s subtitle, “A Sciency, Rhymey Guide to Rainbows,” sets the tone and format. All the science is real and played out within a warm, loving father-daughter relationship. Dunne’s rhyming text and Jefferys’ colorful, eye-catching illustrations are totally in tandem, seamlessly meshing the scientific terminology with increasingly intricate diagrams. The characters are depicted as redheads and present White.

A bit of science presented with love and joy. Charming. (Picture book. 5-10)

Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-84886-648-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Maverick Publishing

Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020

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CECE LOVES SCIENCE

From the Cece and the Scientific Method series

A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again.

Cece loves asking “why” and “what if.”

Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece’s schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece’s lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won’t eat them. She complains to her parents, “Maybe I’m not a real scientist after all….Our project was boring.” Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece’s dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that “real scientists have fun finding answers too.” Harrison’s clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn’t pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children’s STEM shelf.

A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: June 19, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-06-249960-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: March 26, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018

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1001 BEES

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.

This book is buzzing with trivia.

Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)

Pub Date: May 18, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021

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