Nourishing nighttime snacks when the pigeon, the bunny, or the kid in the wolf suit pall.
Nonfiction alternatives to made-up bedtime stories.
What better way to induce drowsiness in young pillow plumpers than short, fascinating introductions to the bedding-down behavior of creatures from hibernating “frogsicles” to grizzly bears, not to mention the “terrifyingly terrific tarantula!” and the “jawsome” great white shark? Or perhaps tallies of record-breaking beds, styles of beds used around the world, and beds found in King Tut’s tomb? Or sleep’s stages, purposes, and body positions? Combining the work of four authors and 10 illustrators, this compendium of night-related knowledge ranges well beyond the bedroom as well as Eurocentric confines—touching on constellations known to Indigenous South African and Australian cultures and moon legends from Inca and West African Batammaliba traditions before closing with lullabies in five languages. Despite being the work of many hands, the painted illustrations on every page are consistent in their bright hues and simple cartoon style. Human figures are diverse in dress and racial presentation, and nearly everyone (animals included) smiles. Though pre–Covid-19 scenes of unmasked night workers in a hospital are a bit jarring and a claim for the antiquity of the West African lungfish that is off by at least a hundredfold slips past a team of Britannica fact checkers, these otherwise solid excursions through the natural world and human culture offer unusual routes to dreamland.
Nourishing nighttime snacks when the pigeon, the bunny, or the kid in the wolf suit pall. (glossary, source list, index) (Nonfiction. 5-9)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-912920-65-5
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Britannica Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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
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
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