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NATURE'S RULE BREAKERS

Name: NATURE'S RULE BREAKERS
Author: Jessica Fries-Gaither
ISBN: 9781728477206

CREATURES THAT DON'T FIT IN

by Jessica Fries-Gaither ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 3, 2023

For in-betweeners everywhere.

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Broad labels don’t always work.

Scientists use categories like herbivore or cold-blooded to sort animals, but this intriguing title makes the point that our binary classifications can be too rigid. Science educator Fries-Gaither discusses 22 animals that don’t fit neatly into the standard groups, instead falling somewhere in between. The Eurasian eagle-owl, for example, is neither nocturnal nor diurnal but crepuscular, meaning it is active at dawn or dusk. In winter, wood frogs may seem dead, with no heartbeat, but in spring they thaw and come alive. She also describes animals that move between fresh and saltwater, those that can be both male and female, and those that have both lungs and gills (or neither). Short paragraphs of text are set on or alongside colorful, close-up stock photographs. The author emphasizes her point: “Our categories don’t fit them.” Readers who’ve been saddled with unwanted labels may appreciate the lesson here. “Standing OUT is IN their nature.” (The design incorporates changing text cases and colors for emphasis.) Fries-Gaither concludes by explaining the utility of categories for general scientific purposes and introducing other examples, including plants and extinct animals. Not your ordinary display of interesting and appealing animals, this offering has an important message for young readers and the adults who care for them.

For in-betweeners everywhere. (glossary, further reading, photo credits) (Informational picture book. 5-9)

Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023

ISBN: 9781728477206

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner

Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL HOME!?

From the What if You Had . . .? series

by Sandra Markle ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2024

Another playful imagination-stretcher.

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Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.

As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.

Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: May 7, 2024

ISBN: 9781339049052

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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CALL THE BEE DOCTOR!
by Sandra Markle

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COULD YOU EVER DINE WITH DINOSAURS!?
by Sandra Markle ; illustrated by Vanessa Morales

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THE GREAT WOLF RESCUE
by Sandra Markle

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I AM GRAVITY

by Henry Herz ; illustrated by Mercè López ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2024

An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.

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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)