A mighty steam train is resurrected at last.
Arnold and Gustavson pay tribute to the world’s biggest steam locomotive.
Though Big Boy 4014 played a crucial role in history—transporting soldiers and equipment across the country during World War II—she’s been inert for the past 50 years, rusting at an outdoor museum in Pomona, California. (The author explains that engineers and crew members historically used female pronouns to refer to these trains, even ones named Big Boy.) But in 2013, a “Steam Team” takes on a seemingly impossible task: rebuilding Big Boy’s engine in time for the Golden Spike Celebration, commemorating the 150th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Temporary tracks are laid down so that Big Boy can join the main rail line; two diesel engines push and pull her to Wyoming. Arnold describes the work that goes into restoring her: “Test those bolts. Check those rivets. Grab the torches. Grab the welders.” Finally, it’s time for a test run and then the celebration. Two dense final pages provide more information on the history of these engines and more details of 4014’s restoration. Dramatic perspectives—close-ups, long shots, aerial views—subtly suggest the train’s momentum. Relying on a somewhat somber palette—the gray metal of the locomotive, with touches of bright yellow, sky blue, and warm sienna here and there—these bold illustrations convey a sense of affection for a bygone era.
A mighty steam train is resurrected at last. (photographs) (Informational picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: May 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781534113145
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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 gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
