Dense but readable and illuminating.
A clamber along branches of the Tree of Life, past prehistoric ancestors of 30 animals from monarch butterflies to modern dogs, cats, and humans.
Starting off with an image of a spreading tree festooned with creatures, over the course of this book Rose arranges well over 100 extinct antecedents to living species along sinuous, branching lines that visually connect evolutionary adaptations and cousins. Properly noting that fossil records are spotty at best—and also that, given convergent evolution and life’s reluctance to fall into tidy classifications, the whole notion of distinct species is “messy in practice”—Lund relies on researchers’ best guesses about relationships and timing as he points out significant developments in each lineage. Plants get so little attention that their appearance is misplaced on a timeline as coming after that of insects. Still, for the 30 chosen animals, at least, tracing the connections will leave readers much more conscious of how, for instance, wings developed in fauna as diverse as bugs, birds, and bats, or how the hooved, rabbit-size Diacodexis could come to count pigs, giraffes, and blue whales among its descendants—not to mention why the ability of early ape Sahelanthropus to walk upright was “quite literally, a huge step forward” on the road to Homo sapiens (both depicted here as generic sketches).
Dense but readable and illuminating. (glossary, further reading) (Nonfiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781523513208
Page Count: 94
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
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
What happens to the dogs when dogfighting rings are broken up and the trials are over? Typically, the dogs are put to sleep, thought to be too dangerous to re-enter society. Because of the wide publicity of the Michael Vick case, animal activists were able to work to rescue all but one of his dogs; this is the story of one that survived. The little black pit bull puppy, later named after World War II hero Audie Murphy, thrives in his foster home. Soon he goes to live with a family that wants to train him for agility competitions. Audie needs surgery on his bad knees though, so not only does he still need to learn how to be a safe and social dog, he also has to recover from an operation. Audie goes through Canine Good Citizen classes and does so well he eventually helps train other dogs. He also excels in his agility training once his knees have healed. Color photographs chronicling Audie’s journey are placed on vibrantly colored pages; Muñoz captures the dog’s personality in frame after frame. Patent's text is straightforward, expertly providing just the right level of background and choosing kid-friendly details to illustrate Audie's experiences. Ample backmatter provides further background and resources. Audie’s inspirational story is a case study in rehabilitation, one sure to appeal to animal loving children. (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-8027-2272-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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