Overstuffed but engagingly illustrated.
A broad overview of outer space and what can be found there, from satellites to black holes.
Readers seeking a logically organized tour of the cosmos should look elsewhere, as these informally jumbled assemblages of stars, moons, planets, galaxies, tiny astronauts and earthbound stargazers, fanciful aliens, assorted constellations, and spacecraft—all interspersed on crowded spreads with floating definitions or bits of fact—are strung out in, at best, loosely ordered sections. Still, if the evident determination to cram in something about everything leads to simplistic or contradictory claims (readers may come away with the impression that Venus is the only planet to spin “in the opposite direction from the other planets,” though a few pages later, we learn that Uranus also spins clockwise), at least the sheer scope of the topic, not to mention the universe, comes through clearly. Also, the book earns high marks for inclusivity. Ancient Mayan astronomers get as much attention as those of ancient Greece and China, Katherine Johnson joins the Apollo 11 astronauts in receiving quick but proper nods in the section on the first moon landing, and animated figures of the past, present, and future in the art are racially and culturally diverse throughout.
Overstuffed but engagingly illustrated. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781536238341
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Big Picture Press
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill.
Grown-ups may not be the only audience for this simple explanation of how algorithms work.
Taking a confused-looking hipster parent firmly in hand, a child first points to all the computers around the house (“Pro Tip: When dealing with grown-ups, don’t jump into the complicated stuff too fast. Start with something they already know”). Next, the child leads the adult outside to make and follow step-by-step directions for getting to the park, deciding which playground equipment to use, and finally walking home. Along the way, concepts like conditionals and variables come into play in street maps and diagrams, and a literal bug stands in for the sort that programmers will inevitably need to find and solve. The lesson culminates in an actual sample of very simple code with labels that unpack each instruction…plus a pop quiz to lay out a decision tree for crossing the street, because if “your grown-up can explain it, that shows they understand it!” That goes for kids, too—and though Spiro doesn’t take the logical next step and furnish leads to actual manuals, young (and not so young) fledgling coders will find plenty of good ones around, such as Get Coding! (2017), published by Candlewick, or Rachel Ziter’s Coding From Scratch (2018).
A lighthearted first look at an increasingly useful skill. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781623543181
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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