An unusual insight into one aspect of the amazing adaptability of birds.
If you thought beaks were just for pecking, think again.
This picture book examines in piercing detail the astonishing adaptability of birds’ beaks. Twenty-one different birds from different parts of the world are illustrated to show the unique functions of each species’ beaks. The kiwi’s nostrils are located at the end of its beak to allow it to smell its food before ingesting it. The shoebill stork has a large, heavy beak ideal for crushing fish “or the occasional lizard or baby crocodile.” The common tailorbird can actually sew leaves together using spiderweb silk to make a nest, and the macaw uses its hooked beak to climb trees. The unbelievably cute Atlantic puffin uses its hinged beak (aided by spines inside its mouth) to hold a big mouthful of fish, and of course, most birds use their beaks to make their first entrance to the world out of the egg. Brightly colored collage close-ups of each bird’s head and beak adorn the spare, white pages, with brief text describing the function of each bird’s beak and a small vignette of the whole bird, showing how the bird uses its beak. A double-page diagram showing where the birds live and what they eat is included, but the maps are a bit small and unlabeled, requiring readers who are unfamiliar with world geography to seek out other sources. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50.1% of actual size.)
An unusual insight into one aspect of the amazing adaptability of birds. (bibliography, further reading) (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6041-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant.
Robot Roz undertakes an unusual ocean journey to save her adopted island home in this third series entry.
When a poison tide flowing across the ocean threatens their island, Roz works with the resident creatures to ensure that they will have clean water, but the destruction of vegetation and crowding of habitats jeopardize everyone’s survival. Brown’s tale of environmental depredation and turmoil is by turns poignant, graceful, endearing, and inspiring, with his (mostly) gentle robot protagonist at its heart. Though Roz is different from the creatures she lives with or encounters—including her son, Brightbill the goose, and his new mate, Glimmerwing—she makes connections through her versatile communication abilities and her desire to understand and help others. When Roz accidentally discovers that the replacement body given to her by Dr. Molovo is waterproof, she sets out to seek help and discovers the human-engineered source of the toxic tide. Brown’s rich descriptions of undersea landscapes, entertaining conversations between Roz and wild creatures, and concise yet powerful explanations of the effect of the poison tide on the ecology of the island are superb. Simple, spare illustrations offer just enough glimpses of Roz and her surroundings to spark the imagination. The climactic confrontation pits oceangoing mammals, seabirds, fish, and even zooplankton against hardware and technology in a nicely choreographed battle. But it is Roz’s heroism and peacemaking that save the day.
Hugely entertaining, timely, and triumphant. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2023
ISBN: 9780316669412
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Affecting and hopeful.
A stray dog finds her destiny amid the chaos of a Southern California wildfire.
Wombat is a small dog with stubby legs and “silly ears / that look like furry cookies”—almost impossibly cute in Bricking’s occasional pencil-style vignettes. She’s mastered the art of survival, so when a mysterious internal voice prods her to go toward the fire, she resists. “The wrong way is the right way. / The right way is the wrong way,” the voice insists. When she tells fellow stray Silas about it, he tells Wombat she’s a “destiny dog,” bound to “find their person / before their person / can find them.” Convinced, she decides to follow the mysterious instructions. Meanwhile, Henry, a boy who’s leery of dogs, loves the bats at the wildlife rehabilitation center where Mama Ro, a veterinarian, works; his Mama J is a librarian. Henry and Barnabas, a fruit bat at the center, are both uprooted by the fire, and their paths converge with Wombat’s at an emergency shelter. The third-person perspective shifts from character to character in clusters of free-verse poems that fully immerse readers in each one’s experiences in turn. This extra-concentrated delivery of Applegate’s typically spare writing proves effective, balancing terror and sadness with heart and humor. Henry has light brown skin, Mama Ro has curly black hair and brown skin, and Mama J presents white.
Affecting and hopeful. (Verse fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780063221178
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Storytide/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2026
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