Absorbing and entertaining—sure to have readers gazing at earthworms with a newfound, and deserved, appreciation.
A lively treatment of the No. 2 area of Charles Darwin’s interest in the natural world.
Fascinated by earthworms, Darwin felt that they had more going for them than Victorian-era science gave them credit for. At that time, worms were considered “pests,” so Darwin set out to discover the lowly worm’s redeeming feature—its “superpower,” in this story’s accessible vernacular. First, he tested their eyesight (but discovered they have no eyes), then their hearing (no ears either). He did determine, though, that, in lieu of eyes and ears, a worm’s skin has receptors that sense vibrations as well as light and dark. Then Darwin realized that worms have a sense of smell for foods they like. But none of these, he felt, were really the superpower to change people’s minds about worms. Quite by accident, Darwin stumbled on the lowly earthworm’s superpower, and an amazing one it is—their poop helps make soil healthier, which in turn results in the plants and vegetables people depend on. As instructive as it is amusing, this story matches perky dialogue bubbles and text (narrated by an endearing bespectacled worm in a mortarboard) with winsome illustrations with just enough detail to amplify the storyline, all the while underscoring the significance of Darwin’s research. Secondary characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Absorbing and entertaining—sure to have readers gazing at earthworms with a newfound, and deserved, appreciation. (facts about worms, link to the Earthworm Society’s website) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-7112-7597-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.
Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.
Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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