An enthralling, contemporary tale of man versus machine.
An artificial intelligence program beats a champion in this nonfiction illustrated children’s book.
In March 2016 in Seoul, Lee Sedol of South Korea competed with AlphaGo, an AI program, in Go, a board game where players capture patterns on a grid using stones. Sedol, the “Go world champion,” was confident he would win, and the British DeepMind team, the creators of AlphaGo, wondered if the AI was ready to compete against such an adept human player. A diverse group of reporters and spectators packed the event. Everyone was shocked when AlphaGo (a DeepMind member moved the stones on the AI’s behalf) won the first two rounds. Sedol was stunned. Following AlphaGo’s third win, some people worried that AI “would soon be smarter than humans.” But Sedol “went big, trying to take a large territory, in an all-or-nothing play,” and beat the AI in the fourth round. Still, AlphaGo triumphed in the final round, proving that AI “could learn tasks and, at times, do them better than humans.” Although the surprising result left many people wary about the power of AI systems, “everything AlphaGo did was because humans had created and programmed it. AlphaGo beat Lee Sedol, but it also helped him to think in new, creative ways, to see the world differently.” The engaging story offers useful information and insights about technological advancements. Pattison emphasizes how computers and AI impact the world. The book also includes kid-friendly explanations of AI, showing how AlphaGo was trained to recognize patterns, and bios of Sedol and DeepMind. The work will especially be enjoyed by young readers interested in technology, programming, or gaming. Willis’ emotive illustrations provide charming elements like collaged details and patterned, textured backgrounds. Many show scenes of the intense competition, sometimes including speech bubbles.
An enthralling, contemporary tale of man versus machine.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 17
Publisher: Mims House
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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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
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