Fascinating reading and viewing for younger prey—er, animal lovers.
A gifted animal photographer records encounters with a wild leopard and her offspring.
Along with personal reactions and memories, Eszterhas offers hints of how a wildlife photographer gets the money shots (“After a couple hours, we heard rustling sounds at the den”) as she distills “thousands of photos” into a few dozen. Eszterhas made a series of visits to the Jao Reserve in Botswana, over time observing two different litters from the same mother (known as the Camp Female). With help from Kambango Sinimbo, a local guide who contributes to a closing Q&A about his work, the author not only catches the mother leopard both in majestic repose and gracefully slinking out to hunt, but also patiently grooming her cubs and even in midair when a branch on which she’s lounging suddenly snaps. And, besides tracking the growing cubs as they tussle at various ages, Eszterhas treats readers to views of one helpless newborn cannily stashed for a while in the camp’s bathroom to keep it safe from predators and an older one plopped down on a comfy bed of elephant poop. Shots of the camp and of elephants and other occasional wild visitors add color. Kambango, who is Black, and the author, who is White, both appear in photos in the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fascinating reading and viewing for younger prey—er, animal lovers. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-77147-491-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
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
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal.
Before growing up to become a major figure in the civil rights movement, a boy finds a role model.
Buffing up a childhood tale told by her renowned father, Young Shelton describes how young Andrew saw scary men marching in his New Orleans neighborhood (“It sounded like they were yelling ‘Hi, Hitler!’ ”). In response to his questions, his father took him to see a newsreel of Jesse Owens (“a runner who looked like me”) triumphing in the 1936 Olympics. “Racism is a sickness,” his father tells him. “We’ve got to help folks like that.” How? “Well, you can start by just being the best person you can be,” his father replies. “It’s what you do that counts.” In James’ hazy chalk pastels, Andrew joins racially diverse playmates (including a White child with an Irish accent proudly displaying the nickel he got from his aunt as a bribe to stop playing with “those Colored boys”) in tag and other games, playing catch with his dad, sitting in the midst of a cheering crowd in the local theater’s segregated balcony, and finally visualizing himself pelting down a track alongside his new hero—“head up, back straight, eyes focused,” as a thematically repeated line has it, on the finish line. An afterword by Young Shelton explains that she retold this story, told to her many times growing up, drawing from conversations with Young and from her own research; family photos are also included. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A pivotal moment in a child’s life, at once stirring and authentically personal. (illustrator’s note) (Autobiographical picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-545-55465-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
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