A visual treat.
An author/illustrator shares his favorite butterflies from around the world.
Spreads showcase one to four butterflies. The brightly colored, remarkably textured collage illustrations steal the show; “the layering of these paper collages reminded me of the scales in butterfly wings,” Valério writes in his introduction. Factual information about butterflies’ habitats, diets, wing patterns, and more are included. The book lacks a table of contents (though there is an index); its primary system of organization seems to be based on the color-coded legend that opens the book (along with spreads about a butterfly’s life cycle and body parts), showing which areas of the world the butterflies live in and what page numbers they fall on. It’s a book built for browsing, and the title underscores that it’s a collection of this author/illustrator’s personal favorites. His introduction, all about his fascination with butterflies as a child in Brazil, successfully establishes a personal connection with readers. And his sense of wonder compels the page turns: “Amazingly,” he writes at one point, “the black pattern on the underside of this butterfly’s wings looks like…it is wearing a team jersey!” It’s as if he is right there with readers, exclaiming over his delight in these creatures. Moments of humor make it all the more enjoyable: “Insects don’t read maps so some of the butterflies in this collection can be found on more than one continent.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A visual treat. (glossary, further reading) (Informational picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77306-335-5
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude.
A deceptively simple, visually appealing, comprehensive explanation of volcanoes.
Gibbons packs an impressive number of facts into this browsable nonfiction picture book. The text begins with the awe of a volcanic eruption: “The ground begins to rumble…ash, hot lava and rock, and gases shoot up into the air.” Diagrams of the Earth’s structural layers—inner and outer core, mantle, and crust—undergird a discussion about why volcanoes occur. Simple maps of the Earth’s seven major tectonic plates show where volcanoes are likeliest to develop. Other spreads with bright, clearly labeled illustrations cover intriguing subtopics: four types of volcanoes and how they erupt; underwater volcanoes; well-known volcanoes and historic volcanic eruptions around the world; how to be safe in the vicinity of a volcano; and the work of scientists studying volcanoes and helping to predict eruptions. A page of eight facts about volcanoes wraps things up. The straightforward, concise prose will be easy for young readers to follow. As always, Gibbons manages to present a great deal of information in a compact form.
Erupt into applause for this picture book of the first magma-tude. (Nonfiction picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4569-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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