Glib—but not entirely off the mark.
A cast of lumpish imaginary figures demonstrate life’s ins, outs, and necessities.
Though he ends in a good place, in getting there Borstlap takes a rather jaundiced view of what life is all about. “Long, long ago, before little white wires started growing out of our ears…” he begins, text placed over an earbud-wearing blob intent on a small handheld screen. He goes on to recount how life arose from components “we don’t understand” before going on to reproduce, perceive, breathe, move, and, mainly, survive by either fighting or running. Occasionally he adopts a puckish tone—showing “giving” and “taking” in action with a flower growing from the poop of one animal and then being eaten by another (or perhaps the same one)—on the way to observing that life is unpredictable except for the part about how it all ends and, finally, the cogent insight that we can’t go it alone: “All of life is connected and dependent on the rest of life.” Cynthia Rylant’s lyrical, affirmative take on the topic, Life, illustrated by Brendan Wenzel (2017), will leave readers more emotionally invested, but the point here is well enough taken. The art in this wry French import has the cinematic air of an animated short, with a mix of clip art–style images and generic claylike organisms with tiny, comically wide eyes and stippled modeling suspended against monochrome backdrops.
Glib—but not entirely off the mark. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-3-7913-7443-7
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Prestel
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
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
More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature.
In a new entry in the Over and Under series, a paddleboarder glimpses humpback whales leaping, floats over a populous kelp forest, and explores life on a beach and in a tide pool.
In this tale inspired by Messner’s experiences in Monterey Bay in California, a young tan-skinned narrator, along with their light-skinned mom and tan-skinned dad, observes in quiet, lyrical language sights and sounds above and below the sea’s serene surface. Switching perspectives and angles of view and often leaving the family’s red paddleboards just tiny dots bobbing on distant swells, Neal’s broad seascapes depict in precise detail bat stars and anchovies, kelp bass, and sea otters going about their business amid rocky formations and the swaying fronds of kelp…and, further out, graceful moon jellies and—thrillingly—massive whales in open waters beneath gliding pelicans and other shorebirds. After returning to the beach at day’s end to search for shells and to spot anemones and decorator crabs, the child ends with nighttime dreams of stars in the sky meeting stars in the sea. Appended nature notes on kelp and 21 other types of sealife fill in details about patterns and relationships in this rich ecosystem. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
More thoughtful, sometimes exhilarating encounters with nature. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-79720-347-8
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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