Not quite overflowing with information when compared with other books on the subject but simple and engaging.
Two personified volcanoes cheerfully explain how they are similar and different.
This latest addition to Heos’ Science Buddies series introduces volcanoes with a conversational first-person narrative directed at science-minded elementary school readers. First, a smiling gray volcano (perhaps Mount St. Helens or certainly a neighbor) reveals the underground secrets that lead it to EXPLODE! Starting with a pictorial representation of Earth’s layers and a map of googly-eyed tectonic plates, the text and the colorful, expressive illustrations explain how plate movements lead to magma melting and lava erupting. Two red volcanoes join the conversation to present current theories about the flow of their lava. The narrators are reassuring, letting readers know that scientists often monitor volcanoes to warn people before dangerous eruptions happen. Puns add to the chatty effect. More straightforward information in the backmatter includes descriptions and pictures of famous volcanoes, including Mount St. Helens; volcanoes that changed the course of history; and a cross section of a typical cone-shaped volcano. Humans shown include a dark-skinned adult and child enjoying the natural world and a diverse group of volcano scientists observing an eruption. Though not as detailed as other books on the topics, this title’s effective explanation of two distinct types of volcanic formation makes it a welcome addition, perhaps as a companion to Susan Rusch’s Volcano Rising (2013), illustrated by Susan Swan. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not quite overflowing with information when compared with other books on the subject but simple and engaging. (glossary, further reading, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 25, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30288-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
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
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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