Perceptively celebrates the Salish Sea and its natural elements, from one squid to 1,000,000 raindrops.
Counting from one to 1 million, McClure introduces children to the creatures and habitats of the Pacific Northwest’s Salish Sea.
The initial spreads, one through 10, interpolate well-known animals—five salmon, seven seals—with wonderfully unfamiliar ones. Each entry provides both the numeric symbol and the written word(s) for the number, along with a short phrase describing action, from “THREE Lumpsuckers hanging on” to “EIGHT Kelp crabs lunching in a forest.” McClure’s exquisite, intricate papercuts, accented with pastel watercolor washes, reveal anatomical details like scales, claws, and suckers and are particularly adept at capturing the flying and diving of birds. Later entries hopscotch from 20 clams, 50 surf scoters, and 100 sculpins to some really big groups: 500 dunlins, 1,000 “Years of a cedar tree sharing life,” 10,000 plankton, and “ONE MILLION Raindrops returning to the Salish Sea.” Beyond 100, McClure understandably abandons the faithfully exact depictions of quantities. For the old-growth cedar tree, her papercut interposes the tree in its natural setting with a crosscut slab, its pink-orange growth rings filling and spilling off the double spread. Embedded in McClure’s teeming compositions and airy text are an impressive knowledge and respect for the habitats fostered by the Salish Sea. However, readers will have to go elsewhere for information about the intriguing denizens and domains featured here.
Perceptively celebrates the Salish Sea and its natural elements, from one squid to 1,000,000 raindrops. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63217-336-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bigfoot/Sasquatch
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Captivating—and not a bit terrifying.
Catering to young scientists, naturalists, and Shark Week fans–to-be, this visually arresting volume presents a good deal of information in easily digested bites.
Like others in the Block Books series, this book feels both compact and massive. When closed, it is 5.5 inches across, 6.5 inches tall, and nearly 2 inches thick, weighty and solid, with stiff cardboard pages that boast creative die cuts and numerous fold-out three- and four-panel tableaux. While it’s possible it’s not the only book with a dorsal fin, it certainly must be among the best. The multiracial cast of aquarium visitors includes a Sikh man with his kids and a man of color who uses a wheelchair; there they discover the dramatic degree of variations among sharks. The book begins with a trip to a shark exhibit, complete with a megalodon jaw. The text points out that there are over 400 known types of sharks alive today, then introduces 18 examples, including huge whale sharks, tiny pocket sharks, and stealthy, well-camouflaged wobbegongs. Reef sharks prowl the warm waters of the surface, while sand tiger sharks explore shipwrecks on the ocean floor. Bioluminescent catsharks reside at the bottom of an inky black flap that folds down, signifying the deepest ocean depths, where no sunlight penetrates. Great whites get star treatment with four consecutive two-page spreads; their teeth and appetite impress but don’t horrify. The book does a wonderful job of highlighting the interconnectedness of species and the importance of environmental stewardship.
Captivating—and not a bit terrifying. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-4119-7
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
© Copyright 2024 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.
