Children will devour this book and hopefully be inspired to become the next super scientists.
“There are more viruses on Planet Earth than there are stars in the universe!”
Given this, how do we learn everything we want to know about viruses and how to vanquish them? Enter author Cross, who uses science, humor, facts, and interactive activities (including a quiz and a word search) to explore notorious viruses throughout history. The book details how viruses behave and the body’s ways of combating them. A tremendous amount of work goes into fighting these viruses: researching them at breakneck pace, developing incredible technology, and recruiting brave volunteers to test potential vaccines. Cross acknowledges the awe-inspiring work scientists have accomplished, then and now, highlighting how these scientists have changed the world. Illustrator Brown employs cartoons of both humans and entertaining anthropomorphic viruses throughout, enhancing the humor and breaking up the text in order to ensure that readers really connect with the content. A whole chapter is devoted to Covid-19, explaining how the virus works and emphasizing the importance of dispelling disinformation and seeking information from trusted sources. Children have been affected in ways they can’t fully understand by the Covid-19 pandemic, and this book will help them. Cross deftly creates an appealing reading experience with well-researched facts while simultaneously answering questions, easing fears, and empowering readers to reduce anxiety by gaining knowledge of the previously unknown.
Children will devour this book and hopefully be inspired to become the next super scientists. (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-78312-731-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Welbeck Children's
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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