Sure to excite a new generation of stargazers and scientists.
A short primer on eclipses, both solar and lunar.
A note from Planetary Society CEO Bill Nye (the Science Guy) opens this book. Betts goes on to explain that eclipses—when either “the Moon enters Earth’s shadow” (lunar) or “Earth enters the Moon’s shadow” (solar)—are one of the times the wonders of space can be experienced here on Earth. The first chapter uses diagrams to show how shadows are cast by the moon and Earth and how their orbits affect the shadows. Betts also states that syzygy “refers to three bodies in space that are in a straight line” (Earth, the moon, and the sun). After covering the general concept, the next chapters go into more detail on lunar and then solar eclipses, with beautiful full-color photos of both kinds of eclipses and racially diverse groups of people watching them. The solar chapter is especially strong, with safety warnings, instructions on using a piece of cardboard to watch the eclipse, and information on how the Mars rovers have photographed eclipses. The text blocks are kept small and straightforward so that the information doesn’t overwhelm readers. The result is impressively clear and efficient—the level of detail will satisfy advanced readers, while the digestible format will be welcoming to reluctant or hard-to-please readers. The author’s enthusiasm shines through clearly and is contagious.
Sure to excite a new generation of stargazers and scientists. (glossary, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9798765624562
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023
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
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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