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WHO NEEDS THAT NOSE?

Name: WHO NEEDS THAT NOSE?
Author: Karen Clemens Warrick
ISBN: 1-55971-887-0

by Karen Clemens Warrick & illustrated by Sherry Neidigh ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2004

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The creators of If I Had a Tail (2001) move to the other end of six creatures, pairing close-ups and clues in a guessing game for young readers: “Who needs a nose that swings and sways, a long gray nose that works like a hand to pick up bunches of hay?” As the animals include a bat, a star-nosed mole, and a proboscis monkey, the answers aren’t always obvious the first time around—which will make repeat reading all the more satisfying. Neidigh contributes realistic, clearly detailed near views, then pulls back on alternate spreads for a full-body portrait of each animal in a natural setting. Warrick properly wraps up the riddles with a child’s nose, then adds a spread of explanatory notes. A pleaser for fans of Beatrice Schenk de Regniers’s It Does Not Say Meow (1972) or Hana Machotka’s Breathtaking Noses (1992). (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2004

ISBN: 1-55971-887-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: NorthWord

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2004

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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WHERE DO FROGS COME FROM?

by Alex Vern & illustrated by Alex Vern ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2001

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The lifecycle of the frog is succinctly summarized in this easy reader for children reading at the late first-grade level. In just one or two sentences per page, Vern details the amazing metamorphosis of the frog from egg to tadpole to adult, even injecting a little humor despite the tight word count. (“Watch out fly! Mmmm!) Large, full-color photographs on white backgrounds clearly illustrate each phase of development. Without any mention of laying eggs or fertilization, the title might be a bit misleading, but the development from black dot egg to full-grown frog is fascinating. A simple chart of the three main lifecycle steps is also included. Lifecycles are part of the standard curriculum in the early elementary grades, and this will be a welcome addition to school and public libraries, both for its informational value and as an easy reader. (Nonfiction/easy reader. 5-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-15-216304-2

Page Count: 20

Publisher: Green Light/Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2001

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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THE TOAD

From the Disgusting Critters series

by Elise Gravel ; illustrated by Elise Gravel ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 5, 2016

A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor

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Having surveyed worms, spiders, flies, and head lice, Gravel continues her Disgusting Critters series with a quick hop through toad fact and fancy.

The facts are briefly presented in a hand-lettered–style typeface frequently interrupted by visually emphatic interjections (“TOXIN,” “PREY,” “EWWW!”). These are, as usual, paired to simply drawn cartoons with comments and punch lines in dialogue balloons. After casting glances at the common South American ancestor of frogs and toads, and at such exotic species as the Emei mustache toad (“Hey ladies!”), Gravel focuses on the common toad, Bufo bufo. Using feminine pronouns throughout, she describes diet and egg-laying, defense mechanisms, “warts,” development from tadpole to adult, and of course how toads shed and eat their skins. Noting that global warming and habitat destruction have rendered some species endangered or extinct, she closes with a plea and, harking back to those South American origins, an image of an outsized toad, arm in arm with a dark-skinned lad (in a track suit), waving goodbye: “Hasta la vista!”

A light dose of natural history, with occasional “EWWW!” for flavor . (Informational picture book. 5-7)