An adult reader could certainly use these illustrations and just make up an appropriate text, but that seems like rather a...
New books on community helpers are always in demand for young readers.
With colorful, bold illustrations reminiscent of Byron Barton’s, this book should fill the prescription for books about doctors, but there are some malpractice issues. The text, in an uncredited translation from the Dutch, is too long for the intended age group. In the first few pages, the doctor’s role is explained, along with many pieces of special clothing and equipment. One sentence referring to a doctor reads: “She checks if you’ve grown with a stadiometer.” Not only is there no explanation for this word unknown to most American children and adults, but the illustration opposite mixes up the labels for the stadiometer and the scale. Of course, in many medical offices, nurses are usually the people doing height and weight measurements. The children and adults (parents and patients) pictured are racially diverse, and the main doctor appearing throughout the book is a white woman. A concluding double-page spread offers information about different types of doctors. In this illustration, there is one brown-skinned medical worker who could be a surgeon or a surgical nurse. Other medical specialties are introduced, including “a dentist, a pediatrician, a dermatologist…”; None of these words is explained for young readers.
An adult reader could certainly use these illustrations and just make up an appropriate text, but that seems like rather a lot of work for them to need to do. (Informational picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: July 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-60537-322-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: April 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2017
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
The makers of Baby University should take Child Development 101, as this entry is best for those long out of diapers.
Simple graphics and straightforward text introduce little ones to epidemiology.
As in other Baby University offerings, balls are used to illustrate complex topics, here representing people and populations. A disembodied, round head with white skin covered in magnified viruses is shown spreading the disease to other heads with a variety of complexions, from white to dark brown. Next readers see a map of Australia sprinkled with even larger viruses, which spread across the globe. Health-worker heads surveil and trace contacts while the sick circles who are exposed isolate or quarantine. The text provides basic definitions for key concepts, highlighting specialized vocabulary in bright colors (usually red, but in one instance yellow—a poor choice for legibility against the white background). It is a laudable goal to introduce the youngest to this of all topics, but much of the content misses the mark for the intended audience. Youngsters may be confused by the oversized viruses, and the giant swab demonstrating testing is more scary than reassuring. By the same token, there’s not nearly enough attention paid to what children are experiencing every day, like hygiene and distancing. As with many other entries in this series, the book is best suited to preschoolers and early-elementary children—not babies and toddlers.
The makers of Baby University should take Child Development 101, as this entry is best for those long out of diapers. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-3416-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
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