More aspirational than realistic at this point, but some of its intended audience will walk on other worlds.
Want to pull up stakes and head for really distant parts? Here’s a quick survey of current possibilities.
Though the obstacles to taking up residence on other worlds seem immense right now, ex-astronaut Williams and co-author Cunti take an optimistic view—pointing out that people have already been living in space longer than readers born after 2000 have been alive and projecting settlements on Mars by as early as 2030. In examining each planet (including ours) and select moons as potential residences, though, they tend more toward breezy comments about packing selfie sticks and ice skates than specific information about feasible solutions to local conditions or hazards. They’re also a bit loose with facts (there’s a measurement of Jupiter’s surface area on the same page as an observation that Jupiter doesn’t have a surface), offer jejune suggestions that other worlds could serve to relieve population pressure or even as new homes should Earth ever need to be evacuated, and occasionally drift off topic to, for instance, discuss “space elevators” and introduce astrophysicist Jedidah Isler, a woman of color who studies phenomena called blazars. Krynauw adds a multicultural cast of young cartoon characters to the mix of digital space art and photos of astronauts aboard the ISS or in experimental habitats on Earth.
More aspirational than realistic at this point, but some of its intended audience will walk on other worlds. (bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 7-11)Pub Date: Oct. 9, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-77321-058-2
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
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
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
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