Appealing poetry and cogent science writing combine for a unique take on the ever-captivating rainbow.
Augmented by sidebars with science facts, 22 poems explore rainbows in nature.
Esenwine contributes five poems, while veteran writers including Janet Wong and Nikki Grimes deliver others. The entries are organized into five sections. “Rainbows of Light” covers several examples of refraction, from a post-storm rainbow to a child’s collection of prismatic crystals. Another section, “Rainbow Waters,” examines four bodies of water and the reasons for their unique colors. Three of them—two of Yellowstone National Park’s hot springs and the Fly Geyser in Nevada—are examples of nature’s response to the often-devastating impact of human interference. David L. Harrison eulogizes the captivating blue of Yellowstone’s Morning Glory Pool as it yields to bacterial damage from human-tossed coins, rocks, and garbage. The section “Living Rainbows” collects nine poems focusing on plants and animals whose plumage, petals, exoskeletons, scales, wings, and peeling bark variously exhibit brilliant, surprising colors. The entries in the fourth section, “Rainbows of Rock,” examine mountains and caves, while a single, lovely poem by Georgia Heard comprises the concluding “Rainbows Beyond.” Heard marvels at the “celestial nursery” forming within Betelgeuse’s brilliantly hued swirl of dust and gases, “a blooming bouquet / light years away.” The information in the insightful sidebars is well explained, while Christoph’s illustrations deftly capture actual and imagined landscapes, depicting diverse humans and alternating pastel compositions with saturated color-scapes.
Appealing poetry and cogent science writing combine for a unique take on the ever-captivating rainbow. (recommended resources, glossary) (Informational picture book/poetry. 6-10)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780802855718
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 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
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
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)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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