Far from stinky.
Unearth the smelly, complicated history of London’s sewage system!
This informative exploration of London’s sanitation history will delight nonfiction fans interested in history, ecology, biography, and more. A brief account of London’s waste-removal system from the 1500s to the 1800s provides context before the book introduces Joseph Bazalgette, the future father of sanitation. Bazalgette’s journey is woven into the multiple cholera epidemics, the incorrect medical information, and the political challenges that defined the age. Backmatter further explains the connection between the London sewage system of the 1800s and the modern world. A bulleted list of information provides additional information about modern systems and suggestions for ways families can reduce water pollution. Keen educators and caregivers will find this a useful tool in lessons about ecology. The watercolor-and-ink illustrations make the most of the text, creating sweeping double-page spreads that depict the teeming city and the grandeur of Bazalgette’s work. The addition of skeletons intermingling with the living population drives home the losses of the epidemics—a message that won’t be lost on modern readers—and the inclusion of a range of skin tones will quietly remind readers that London has been a diverse city for centuries. Bazalgette himself presents White.
Far from stinky. (timeline, author’s note, further reading, selected bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4929-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: McElderry
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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 variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information.
Two youngsters embark on a journey peppered with history, trivia, and skits while teaching money lessons.
Meet Mellody and John, the young stars of this currency showcase. Their very first dialogue offers a taste of the intriguing information to come, from the ancient Mayans’ use of cacao beans as payment to the origins of the piggy bank. The book offers a chronologically and geographically broad timeline of the history of money, encompassing the past 3.9 billion years (starting with meteorite crashes that scattered metals—“the very first bank deposit”) and referencing practices across five continents. Readers will find themselves eagerly sharing the facts gleaned here, including the centuries-old origins of terms and expressions still used today. Mellody and John’s fun banter crucially reflects their experiences with money, such as their families’ differing attitudes toward allowances. Both are savers as well as givers, sharing stories about giving to charity. In one especially entertaining section, a cat and a bunny converse in money-related catchphrases that are separately defined at the bottom of each page. Stevens’ watercolors are appropriately realistic and appealing, whether depicting Mellody’s pretend bank or Elizabeth II’s butler ironing a 10-pound note. Messages about money’s use as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, ensure that readers will think about their own purposes for their savings. Mellody and John are Black.
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781536224719
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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