The newest entry in the usually exemplary Scientists in the Field series is more platform than profile. Rendering himself nearly invisible, the author allows wildlife conservation activist Sue Morse to lead a class into wintry New England woods. There, illustrated mostly with her own bright, sharp photos, she points out bear, deer, moose, and bobcat signs while explaining at length that wildlife needs not only more space than it’s often allotted, but also corridors that allow it to move between protected areas. Like the young trackers-in-training who pose in the pictures, readers will pick up a few hints about how to look for evidence of local wildlife, but more important, they will come away with a much clearer sense of the importance of conservation. Plus they’ll see the depth of one naturalist’s dedication to it, as well as plenty of encouragement to get personally involved. They will not see much of Morse the research scientist, however, as she has little to say about her academic training or scientific research, and the organization she founded, Keeping Track, is oddly absent from the closing list of contact addresses. This series has done much to expand the horizons of young readers who think that science can only be done in laboratories, but here the difference between inquiry and advocacy is blurred. (index, glossary, paper and electronic resource lists) (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: March 24, 2003
ISBN: 0-618-04602-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2003
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
The Pumpkin Book (32 pp.; $16.95; Sept. 15; 0-8234-1465-5): From seed to vine and blossom to table, Gibbons traces the growth cycle of everyone’s favorite autumn symbol—the pumpkin. Meticulous drawings detail the transformation of tiny seeds to the colorful gourds that appear at roadside stands and stores in the fall. Directions for planting a pumpkin patch, carving a jack-o’-lantern, and drying the seeds give young gardeners the instructions they need to grow and enjoy their own golden globes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1465-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
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