A fact-filled tribute to this national natural treasure.
An introduction to multiple aspects of the park, from foundational rock to overarching sky.
This title’s content parallels Jason Chin’s 2017 Caldecott Honor–winning book Grand Canyon (which adds a narrative thread), but unlike Chin’s romantic watercolors, Lewis’ information-rich designs evoke stylish WPA posters, dominated by rust red and indigo. Following a map and an introduction citing the canyon’s jaw-dropping statistics (length, width, depth, area), Lamb explains its formation, providing some basic geological facts along the way. One chapter covers the people who have lived in the canyon from ancient times to the present day, including the Cohonina, Havasupai, and Navajo peoples; some of their legends are featured. The author notes past management mistakes and discusses the people who explored the canyon and helped preserve it for future generations, such as naturalist John Muir. Lamb also covers the contributions of various women, including architect Mary Jane Colter and botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter. The abundant and unique wildlife earn the most extensive coverage: Lamb analyzes ecosystems at various elevations and the habitats they offer. The in-depth pages feature characteristic animals (monarch butterflies, peregrine falcons) and plants (cacti, ponderosa trees), explaining their adaptation and potential challenges from climate change. History, biology, botany, ecology, geology, and human appreciation for beauty, security, and adventure—it’s all here; readers will want to snap up this one.
A fact-filled tribute to this national natural treasure. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 7-11)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781838741600
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Flying Eye Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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