Not much here to attract interest—particularly as clearer, more carefully written primers on the topic abound.
A first introduction to magnets of both the simple and “on and off” sorts, with basic demonstrations of what they can do.
Unfortunately, Adler’s opening observation that magnets are attracted to “anything made of iron, steel, nickel or cobalt and some less plentiful metals, including neodymium and samarium” may repel more readers than it attracts. After this, he shifts to a level of discourse so basic that the difference between geographical and magnetic north goes unremarked. Then, amid various demos involving magnets and paper clips or iron filings (the latter “available at most hardware stores”), he presents more or less the same instructions twice for determining which pole is which on a bar magnet—and includes a vague warning to remove any nearby item “made of iron, steel, nickel or cobalt” (like what?) so as not to “confuse the magnet.” Raff follows suit with very simply drawn illustrations featuring a pair of dark-skinned children performing the experiments in a household setting (as dad vacuums a rug in the background—OK, points there), but in such a schematic way that the homemade electromagnet’s wire wrapping doesn’t touch the core nail.
Not much here to attract interest—particularly as clearer, more carefully written primers on the topic abound. (index, glossary) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3669-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016
“It’s time to head back home,” the narrator concludes. “You’ve touched the Earth in so many ways.” Who knew it would be so...
A pro bono Twinkie of a book invites readers to fly off in a magic plane to bring clean water to our planet’s oceans, deserts, and brown children.
Following a confusingly phrased suggestion beneath a soft-focus world map to “touch the Earth. Now touch where you live,” a shake of the volume transforms it into a plane with eyes and feathered wings that flies with the press of a flat, gray “button” painted onto the page. Pressing like buttons along the journey releases a gush of fresh water from the ground—and later, illogically, provides a filtration device that changes water “from yucky to clean”—for thirsty groups of smiling, brown-skinned people. At other stops, a tap on the button will “help irrigate the desert,” and touching floating bottles and other debris in the ocean supposedly makes it all disappear so the fish can return. The 20 children Coh places on a globe toward the end are varied of skin tone, but three of the four young saviors she plants in the flier’s cockpit as audience stand-ins are white. The closing poem isn’t so openly parochial, though it seldom rises above vague feel-good sentiments: “Love the Earth, the moon and sun. / All the children can be one.”
“It’s time to head back home,” the narrator concludes. “You’ve touched the Earth in so many ways.” Who knew it would be so easy to clean the place up and give everyone a drink? (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: April 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5107-2083-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Readers (and listeners) will think that this book is the bee’s knees.
Children will be buzzing to learn more about honeybees after reading this story.
Hall takes her readers on a sunny romp through a springtime pasture abuzz with friendly honeybees in this bright and cheerful picture book. Hall’s rhyme scheme is inviting and mirrors the staccato sounds of a bee buzzing. At times, however, meaning seems to take a back seat to the rhyme. The bees are suggested to “tap” while flying, a noise that adult readers might have trouble explaining to curious listeners. Later, the “hill” the bees return to may elicit further questions, as this point is not addressed textually or visually. Minor quibbles aside, the vocabulary is on-point as the bees demonstrate the various stages of nectar collection and honey creation. Arsenault’s illustrations, a combination of ink, gouache, graphite, and colored pencil, are energetic and cheerful. Extra points should be awarded for properly illustrating a natural honeybee hive (as opposed to the often depicted wasp nest). The expressive bees are also well-done. Their faces are welcoming, but their sharp noses hint at the stingers that may be lurking behind them. Hall’s ending note to readers will be appreciated by adults but will require their interpretation to be accessible to children. A sensible choice for read-alouds and STEAM programs.
Readers (and listeners) will think that this book is the bee’s knees. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 8, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6997-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
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