paper 0-15-201802-6 This New England Aquarium book covers some of the scientists, conservationists, and concerned citizens working to protect the Hector’s dolphin, the yellow-eyed penguin, and the little blue penguin of coastal New Zealand, a “shining example” of conservation and the complex issues which must be balanced. The Hector’s dolphins were not reproducing at a rate to replace those caught and killed in commercial fishing nets, and the fishermen resisted any restrictions on their livelihood. Warning devices have been developed to protect dolphins from nets while permitting commercial fishing. Ecotourism—fees help fund the caring and preservation of species—has led to an increase in the population of the yellow-eyed penguin. The Eastern Bays Little Blue Penguin Foundation is an animal care center that offers temporary shelter to injured creatures, mostly little blue penguins, so small that they are “vulnerable to domestic animals such as dogs.” The insertion of full-page or full-spread informational asides, e.g., on the tagging of animals, interrupts the main body of text (except when they are set-off and colored, as are some journal entries on a little blue penguin), requiring readers to do a little page-flipping. Despite that, the text is conversational, and full of information and anecdotes to bring the issues home to readers. Striking, full-color photographs, most by Mallory and some from other sources, enhance every page. A brief conclusion ties the three scenarios together; the small snapshots of working scientists are a welcome inclusion. (map, glossary) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-15-200043-7
Page Count: 64
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1998
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Remarking that ``nothing about the weather is very simple,'' Simon goes on to describe how the sun, atmosphere, earth's rotation, ground cover, altitude, pollution, and other factors influence it; briefly, he also tells how weather balloons gather information. Even for this outstanding author, it's a tough, complex topic, and he's not entirely successful in simplifying it; moreover, the import of the striking uncaptioned color photos here isn't always clear. One passage—``Cumulus clouds sometimes build up into towering masses called cumulus congestus, or swelling cumulus, which may turn into cumulonimbus clouds''—is superimposed on a blue-gray, cloud-covered landscape. But which kind of clouds are these? Another photo, in blue-black and white, shows what might be precipitation in the upper atmosphere, or rain falling on a darkened landscape, or...? Generally competent and certainly attractive, but not Simon's best. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-10546-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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