Fun, if not quite enough for someone hungry to chew on all the details.
A wild-eyed, green-skinned, ponytailed zombie in a chef’s hat discusses a favorite food.
What makes human brains so amazing, if not downright delicious? This medley of brain-related information covers many of the basics: a mention of neurons and their supporting glial cells, and the fact that human brains have more folds than those of other creatures. Parts of the brain are introduced: the brain stem (“you need this to breathe, and to hiccup, and to sneeze, and to keep your temperature at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit”), the cerebellum, and finally, “the cerebrum—the gray stuff.” This last is accompanied by a diagram indicating each section (parietal lobe, frontal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe) in a different color. The brain’s role in the five senses is mentioned but merely attributes touching, hearing, seeing, smelling, and tasting to the skin, ears, eyes, nose, and tongue, without elaboration. The zombie conceit is fairly funny, as the zombie narrator appears to have an increasingly difficult time refraining from munching on the subject matter, and Rivera’s cartoon illustrations have a zany energy. Front endpapers feature 11 mammal brains (including human) plus a viper’s and an owl’s. Back endpapers amusingly are missing one of these—a “scrumptious” one. Seven brain facts, a brief list of sources, and an author’s note make up the backmatter.
Fun, if not quite enough for someone hungry to chew on all the details. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-30404-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
A solid, small step for diversifying STEM stories.
What does Annie want to be?
As career day approaches, Annie wants to keep her job choice secret until her family sees her presentation at school. Readers will figure it out, however, through the title and clues Tadgell incorporates into the illustrations. Family members make guesses about her ambitions that are tied to their own passions, although her brother watches as she completes her costume in a bedroom with a Mae Jemison poster, starry décor, and a telescope. There’s a celebratory mood at the culminating presentation, where Annie says she wants to “soar high through the air” like her basketball-playing mother, “explore faraway places” like her hiker dad, and “be brave and bold” like her baker grandmother (this feels forced, but oven mitts are part of her astronaut costume) so “the whole world will hear my exciting stories” like her reporter grandfather. Annie jumps off a chair to “BLAST OFF” in a small illustration superimposed on a larger picture depicting her floating in space with a reddish ground below. It’s unclear if Annie imagines this scene or if it’s her future-self exploring Mars, but either scenario fits the aspirational story. Backmatter provides further reading suggestions and information about the moon and four women astronauts, one of whom is Jemison. Annie and her family are all black.
A solid, small step for diversifying STEM stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-88448-523-0
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
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