Clear, comprehensive, and thoroughly accessible.
Isabella and Smith explore the ecological effects of reintroducing wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995.
Seemingly simple yet remarkably comprehensive—a bit like the ecosystem web it describes—this picture book explains how the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem, deprived for 70 years of its apex predator, became overpopulated with elk and how it began to reclaim its balance with the reintroduction of wolves. While an anchor narrative tells the story of the park’s ecosystem changes, interspersed sidebars delve into adjunct topics. For example, recurring sidebars titled “It’s Elemental” describe the effects of climate and weather while others add deeper details, such as describing a wolf’s physiological traits. In this way, abundant amounts of information are presented in an easy-to-understand format. Colorful, posterlike illustrations add liveliness to the format and open up the whole design visually so the expansive topic feels unintimidating. It’s all here: how wolves, by being wolves, reduced the elk population, which allowed more plant life to grow, which brought more berries for bears and more habitat for insects and birds, which created more pollination—among many other restorations. Beyond gaining an understanding of this particular ecosystem, readers will no doubt grasp the concept of the vast interdependencies within any ecosystem. Bolded words within the narrative are defined in a glossary in the backmatter, which also includes further resources and an index.
Clear, comprehensive, and thoroughly accessible. (Informational picture book. 8-14)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77138-625-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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