A good book for browsing or for starting tree-related research.
This large (10.75 by 17.75 inches) Polish import has equally large illustrations, complementing facts about generic and specific trees’ lives, deaths, and after-death uses—and many more tree-related topics.
This is a book that encourages readers to flip through its pages; every double-page spread is chock-full of colorful, stylized, eye-catching art that takes up most of the space. The text, confined to one vertical margin per spread, is accessible if a bit prosaic (though occasionally florid)—and it covers a forest of categories. There are simplified explanations of how to distinguish a tree from other plants; photosynthesis; evolution; fossilization; how to fell a tree; uses by humans and animals; and more. Besides expected data about the world’s tallest and broadest trees, there is a fascinating timeline showing various points in human history during the life of CBR26, a giant sequoia cut down around 1900. Facts such as the existence of “living bridges” in India and rot-resistant pine in Norwegian churches motivate readers to seek more information elsewhere. There are some missed opportunities for exciting art, and it is puzzling why most, but not all, illustrations are carefully labeled. The retro style of the art spills into stereotypical renderings of people; the text, in kind, uses B.C. and A.D. and, in its section entitled “Trees in Religion,” describes the Quran as “the holy book of Islam”—but offers no description of “the Bible” and uses “myth” or “mythology” to describe non-Abrahamic cosmologies.
A good book for browsing or for starting tree-related research. (Informational picture book. 8-12)Pub Date: April 9, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3723-7
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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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