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EVEN MORE LESSER SPOTTED ANIMALS

Name: EVEN MORE LESSER SPOTTED ANIMALS
Author: Martin Brown
ISBN: 978-1-338-34961-0

by Martin Brown ; illustrated by Martin Brown ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 30, 2019

A welcome, equally successful companion to Lesser Spotted Animals.

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How can we save animals if we’ve never heard of them?

In his introduction to this follow-up to Lesser Spotted Animals (2017), Brown explains that he aims to rectify that problem with this album of 26 more marvelous mammals from around the world: not “fancy-pants lions” but “the little guys” from “the big world of wildlife.” From the tree-dwelling dingiso of New Guinea (a “teddy bear kangaroo”) to the Celebes crested macaque (a “monkey with a mohawk”), the British author/illustrator has chosen curious creatures that are likely to appeal to middle-grade animal lovers everywhere. Some, such as the Syrian brown bear or the Indian giant squirrel, are unfamiliar variants of familiar species; others, like the shrewlike black and rufous sengi of eastern Africa or the Altai argali (a huge Mongolian sheep), are likely to be totally new. An engaging, informal text introduces the highlighted species and sometimes some similar relatives; boxed fast facts include a map of the animal’s range and, crucially, its International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List status, from data deficient or least concern to critically endangered. Dialogue balloons of animal commentary add humor throughout, even in the helpful and entertaining glossary. The illustrations include at least one relatively realistic portrait of each spotlighted animal as well as cartoony treatments. Page numbers and thumbnails in the table of contents add to the informational value of this lighthearted reminder of a serious environmental concern.

A welcome, equally successful companion to Lesser Spotted Animals. (Informational picture book. 7-10)

Pub Date: July 30, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-338-34961-0

Page Count: 56

Publisher: David Fickling/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: April 27, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
LESSER SPOTTED ANIMALS
by Martin Brown ; illustrated by Martin Brown

- BOOK REVIEW
TWO CRAFTY CRIMINALS!
by Philip Pullman & illustrated by Martin Brown

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1001 BEES

by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2021

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 BIRDS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 ANTS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

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I AM GRAVITY

by Henry Herz ; illustrated by Mercè López ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2024

An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.

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An introduction to gravity.

The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.

An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)