Another feather in the veteran co-authors’ cap.
A populous, cut-paper portrait gallery of avian species present…and past.
The authors make clear throughout that despite birds’ great antiquity, they are currently under threat from habitat loss and other factors, but as usual it’s the late Jenkins’ spectacularly realistic collage illustrations that sound the loudest notes. Following an opening sequence showing a kingfisher in flight and a close-up of a king vulture’s head that is a burst of vivid colors and textures, gorgeously feathered subjects parade past in profusion—in close-ups to display distinctive feet, beaks, and eyes or in full-body poses alongside nests, eggs, and prey. Pithy captions tucked between and around the images largely cover familiar territory in noting typical features and behaviors but do discuss some unusual feats such as the European robin’s ability to sense magnetic fields and the cave-dwelling oilbird’s use of echolocation. Prehistoric predecessors gather on one topical spread, flightless birds on another, and a final page of recently extinct species underscores the conservation message. A closing table listing each of the dozens of birds depicted serves as both index and factual summary. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Another feather in the veteran co-authors’ cap. (further reading, websites) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-358-32569-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An affectionate picture of bears and bear scientists, capped with a page of moon bear facts and an afterword.
Not one but three roly-poly moon bear cubs star in this true animal rescue tale.
Orphaned by poachers, Yasha, joined later by Shum and Shiksha, are nurtured by Pokrovskaya and another scientist for nearly two years on a game preserve until they were ready to be released into the Siberian wild. Taking a slightly anthropomorphized bear’s-eye point of view (“Yasha was happy with his new home”), Kvatum chronicles the cubs’ development as they learn to forage on their own while playing together and learning to climb trees. She also notes how important it is for human observers to remain aloof—minimizing physical contact and even wearing scent-concealing clothing—to prevent the animals from becoming dependent or domesticated. Looking positively fetching in the big, color photos, shaggy Yasha and his ursine cohorts grow visibly as they ramble through woodsy settings, splash in a river and survive an encounter with a prowling tiger before being deemed ready to live on their own.
An affectionate picture of bears and bear scientists, capped with a page of moon bear facts and an afterword. (map, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: July 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1051-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
It’s got a few quirky bits, but it’s lackluster overall.
Pop-up dinosaurs, both fossilized and fully fleshed out, join Mesozoic contemporaries in a series of museum displays.
The single-topic spreads are up-to-date but designed to evoke the dusty atmosphere of old-style dinosaur halls (emphasizing this conceit, some are even labeled “Rooms”). They combine cramped blocks of information in smallish type with images of beasts and bones done in a style that resembles the faded naturalism of early-20th-century museum murals—or, in the “Fossil Room,” a desktop covered in paleontological notes with paper clips and coffee stains. Occasional inset spinners and attached booklets supply additional dino details. A tab-activated flipbook attempts to demonstrate tectonic drift, but readers have to go fairly slowly to assimilate it all, which blunts the effect. Amid pale silhouettes representing modern museum visitors, the prehistoric creatures, nearly all of which are small and drably colored, rear up individually or parade along in sedate, motley groups until a closing display and mention of genetic engineering promise a possible future with pet velociraptors.
It’s got a few quirky bits, but it’s lackluster overall. (Informational pop-up picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9687-0
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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