A pathologically good time.
How do germs make animals—and people—sick, and what defenses do bodies have?
With this kid-friendly introduction to immune systems and the enemies they battle, Montgomery adds to an impressively entertaining body of work. Organized around different animals, the chapters follow scientists noticing odd happenings in the face of infection—or animals avoiding expected infection entirely. Montgomery highlights the questions these scientists ask: What’s the connection between frog temperature and infection survival? Why do ants kill infected pupae? How do injured gators survive their bacteria-heavy environment and vultures their contaminated food? The author traces the scientists’ logic as they test various hypotheses; she then demonstrates how we can learn from these findings to devise new strategies to help people. Keeping her tone conversational, occasionally relying on anthropomorphizing, and framing her stories as mysteries, Montgomery makes even the most complex concepts concrete and digestible—young readers won’t just understand the microbiology at play; they’ll enjoy the subject, too. Illustrations throughout also enhance clarity as well as (especially in short comic panels) keeping the book fun. Gross facts (“Chimps pee and poop right off the sides of their daybeds!”) are just the cherry on top of this book that brims with child appeal. Final art not seen.
A pathologically good time. (more super symbionts, selected sources, illustration credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-adult)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781547609857
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A book about engineering notable mostly for its illustrations of diverse characters. (Board book. 1-3)
Babies and engineers have more in common than you think.
In this book, Alexander highlights the unlikely similarities between babies and engineers. Like engineers, babies ask questions, enjoy building, and learn from their mistakes. Black’s bold, colorful illustrations feature diverse babies and both male- and female-presenting adult characters with a variety of skin tones and hair colors, effectively demonstrating that engineers can be any race or either gender. (Nonbinary models are a little harder to see.) The story ends with a reassurance to the babies in the book that “We believe in you!” presumably implying that any child can be an engineer. The end pages include facts about different kinds of engineers and the basic process used by all engineers in their work. Although the book opens with a rhythmic rhyming couplet, the remaining text lacks the same structure and pattern, making it less entertaining to read. Furthermore, while some of the comparisons between babies and engineers are both clever and apt, others—such as the idea that babies know where to look for answers—are flimsier. The book ends with a text-heavy spread of facts about engineering that, bereft of illustrations, may not hold children’s attention as well as the previous pages. Despite these flaws, on its best pages, the book is visually stimulating, witty, and thoughtful.
A book about engineering notable mostly for its illustrations of diverse characters. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-31223-2
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019
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
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