by Consie Powell & illustrated by Consie Powell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2005
Part Eye Spy, part counting book, this is a wonderful seasonal activity that will have kids learning as they observe the wintry world around them. For the first 12 days of winter, four lines of rhyming text describe the activities of a group of children as they enjoy the season. But the artwork is the real attraction. Clever use of page space uses only an oval for the children; the rest of the full-bleed illustrations are the backdrop for a nature-based treasure hunt. Additional text prompts readers to search the amazingly realistic watercolor-and-colored pencil artwork for plants, animals and objects that are related to what the children are doing. When they are snowshoeing, for instance, readers search for eight animals that manage to stay above the snow. The outline of each oval contains the answers, naming and sometimes describing the target objects. It’s only on the bird identification page that this system fails. Several pages at the back describe the featured plants and animals in more detail, as well as give more general information about why Earth has winters and how animals deal with the cold. A great addition to any collection, especially if that collection is in a snowy place. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)
Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-8075-2450-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
Share your opinion of this book
More by Lori Fisher Peelen
BOOK REVIEW
by Lori Fisher Peelen ; illustrated by Consie Powell
BOOK REVIEW
by Mary Miché & illustrated by Consie Powell
BOOK REVIEW
by Mary Bevis & illustrated by Consie Powell
by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2019
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book.
Ada Twist’s incessant stream of questions leads to answers that help solve a neighborhood crisis.
Ada conducts experiments at home to answer questions such as, why does Mom’s coffee smell stronger than Dad’s coffee? Each answer leads to another question, another hypothesis, and another experiment, which is how she goes from collecting data on backyard birds for a citizen-science project to helping Rosie Revere figure out how to get her uncle Ned down from the sky, where his helium-filled “perilous pants” are keeping him afloat. The Questioneers—Rosie the engineer, Iggy Peck the architect, and Ada the scientist—work together, asking questions like scientists. Armed with knowledge (of molecules and air pressure, force and temperature) but more importantly, with curiosity, Ada works out a solution. Ada is a recognizable, three-dimensional girl in this delightfully silly chapter book: tirelessly curious and determined yet easily excited and still learning to express herself. If science concepts aren’t completely clear in this romp, relationships and emotions certainly are. In playful full- and half-page illustrations that break up the text, Ada is black with Afro-textured hair; Rosie and Iggy are white. A closing section on citizen science may inspire readers to get involved in science too; on the other hand, the “Ode to a Gas!” may just puzzle them. Other backmatter topics include the importance of bird study and the threat palm-oil use poses to rainforests.
Adventure, humor, and smart, likable characters make for a winning chapter book. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3422-9
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts
by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts
by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts
More by Andrea Beaty
BOOK REVIEW
by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts
BOOK REVIEW
by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts
BOOK REVIEW
by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by Dow Phumiruk
by Doreen Cronin & illustrated by Harry Bliss ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2005
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
Share your opinion of this book
More by Doreen Cronin
BOOK REVIEW
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Brian Cronin
BOOK REVIEW
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Brian Cronin
BOOK REVIEW
by Doreen Cronin ; illustrated by Betsy Lewin
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.