A stellar guide that engages readers with rocks, minerals, fossils, and shells.
Divided into well-organized, color-coded parts, this entry in the Outdoor School series promotes a get-out-there-and-do-it approach.
The book opens with “Rocks & Minerals,” covering the differences between the two, basic geology, and how rocks form. Armed with this knowledge, readers are encouraged to find rock samples and are walked through questions to classify their discoveries. Accessible and encouraging language as well as space to write down findings and check off tasks accomplished make this science fun and personal. The second section, “Fossils,” builds on readers’ acquired knowledge that sedimentary rocks are the best place to find fossils and gives them the tools needed to go out searching on their own. Information on setting up a dig, stabilizing delicate fossils, numbering discoveries, and more, is presented. A basic geologic time scale assists in identifying fossil age. The final part, “Shells,” has the same informative and user-friendly organization. Information on how shells are formed and their basic classification categories is paired with the hands-on activities of finding, cleaning, labelling, and identifying. Each section concludes with an illustrated informational guide showing common examples of the specimens under consideration and covering a broad geographical distribution. The superb content is presented in a sturdily bound volume with metal-edged corners that will hold up well in field conditions.
A stellar guide that engages readers with rocks, minerals, fossils, and shells. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-23065-2
Page Count: 448
Publisher: Odd Dot
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
PERSPECTIVES
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
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information.
Two youngsters embark on a journey peppered with history, trivia, and skits while teaching money lessons.
Meet Mellody and John, the young stars of this currency showcase. Their very first dialogue offers a taste of the intriguing information to come, from the ancient Mayans’ use of cacao beans as payment to the origins of the piggy bank. The book offers a chronologically and geographically broad timeline of the history of money, encompassing the past 3.9 billion years (starting with meteorite crashes that scattered metals—“the very first bank deposit”) and referencing practices across five continents. Readers will find themselves eagerly sharing the facts gleaned here, including the centuries-old origins of terms and expressions still used today. Mellody and John’s fun banter crucially reflects their experiences with money, such as their families’ differing attitudes toward allowances. Both are savers as well as givers, sharing stories about giving to charity. In one especially entertaining section, a cat and a bunny converse in money-related catchphrases that are separately defined at the bottom of each page. Stevens’ watercolors are appropriately realistic and appealing, whether depicting Mellody’s pretend bank or Elizabeth II’s butler ironing a 10-pound note. Messages about money’s use as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, ensure that readers will think about their own purposes for their savings. Mellody and John are Black.
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781536224719
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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