Useful when apple trees bloom and again during apple-picking season.
Simple factual information is delivered on sturdy board pages about a topic popular in most early-childhood curricula.
One or two short sentences per page simply outline the process of growing apples: planting the seed, tending the seedling, nurturing the sapling, blossoming, pollination, harvest, and beyond. Proper scientific terms label illustrations of a cut apple and blossom. A series of numbered pictures show how a blossom becomes fruit. An added fact in a smaller font (“It takes two to three years for a seed to become a sapling”) on each spread extends the usefulness of the book beyond the board-book audience. Some of the cheery illustrations may elicit more questions than can be answered by the text, however. There is no explanation as to why two children are staking the sapling, for instance. The children depicted are a multiracial mix, and several appear in more than one picture. All are included in the apple-picking scene, but that is not the end of the book. The next spreads show a truck being loaded to deliver apples to market, then children at a table eating foods made from apples, and finally an apple tree in all its stages with the adage “Good things are worth waiting for!”
Useful when apple trees bloom and again during apple-picking season. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-525-57875-8
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Adults looking for an easy entry into this subject will not be disappointed.
This book presents a simplified explanation of the role the atmosphere plays in controlling climate.
The authors present a planet as a ball and its atmosphere as a blanket that envelops the ball. If the blanket is thick, the planet will be hot, as is the case for Venus. If the blanket is thin, the planet is cold, as with Mars. Planet Earth has a blanket that traps “just the right amount of heat.” The authors explain trees, animals, and oceans are part of what makes Earth’s atmosphere “just right.” “But…Uh-oh! People on Earth are changing the blanket!” The book goes on to explain how some human activities are sending “greenhouse gases” into the atmosphere, thus “making the blanket heavier and thicker” and “making Earth feel unwell.” In the case of a planet feeling unwell, what would the symptoms be? Sea-level rises that lead to erosion, flooding, and island loss, along with extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, blizzards, and wildfires. Ending on a constructive note, the authors name a few of the remedies to “help our Earth before it’s too late!” By using the blanket analogy, alongside simple and clear illustrations, this otherwise complex topic becomes very accessible to young children, though caregivers will need to help with the specialized vocabulary.
Adults looking for an easy entry into this subject will not be disappointed. (Board book. 3-4)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4926-8082-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2020
A nice addition to this baby-attuned series.
In this newest addition to the Baby Scientist series toddlers are introduced to the basics of what a botanist does.
The book starts with a simple and straightforward explanation of its subject matter: “Who studies plants? / Baby Botanist does!” Wearing a white lab coat with yellow polka dots, a brown-skinned child with a purple hair bow holding up its one little curl proceeds to present a number of simply stated and easily understood plant facts. As with the previous books, the illustrations are colorful, uncluttered, and humorously engaging, and baby has a sidekick; this time it is a blue-and-yellow snail. After planting a seed, Baby wonders what plant will grow. The text explains that some plants have roots and some do not, and they might grow on water or underground. In a simple acknowledgment of a healthy diet, the book states “Baby’s favorite foods all come from plants.” Children are also presented with food they may not recognize as coming from plants, such as noodles and chocolate. In the end, the seed that Baby has planted, watered, and kept in the sunlight “grows into a flower for Mama!” and with that comes a big thank-you hug from Mama.
A nice addition to this baby-attuned series. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-284132-2
Page Count: 22
Publisher: HarperFestival
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
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