A winning combination of information and entertainment.
Beginning with 10 tadpoles in egg form, Piedra and Joy offer an honest look at the odds of becoming a red-eyed treefrog.
The countdown begins with an image of a large leaf. Sensitive children may be a little perturbed as each page turn announces a dwindling number of metamorphosing siblings. Many become lunch for various critters, like the wolf cichlid. The scientific names of the animals accompany the illustrations, offering a chance for children to sound out new words. Adults should help kids talk through the tough truth about the low likelihood of survival for tadpoles; they’ll also appreciate the wealth of information about the Costa Rican ecosystem to comb through in the backmatter, which dissects the images and sequences on each spread in long prose. The narrative portion is spare, with plenty of action words like plunge and peek along with onomatopoeia for an engaging read-aloud. The hopeful treefrogs are lightly anthropomorphized as they grow, though they don’t talk or have distinct personalities. Still, attachment and hope for the treefrogs will form. Greens, blues, and yellows dominate the absorbing, attractive illustrations; it’s easy to jump for this one. (This book was reviewed digitally; this review was updated for accuracy.)
A winning combination of information and entertainment. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1948-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A simple but effective look at a keystone species.
Sea otters are the key to healthy kelp forests on the Pacific coast of North America.
There have been several recent titles for older readers about the critical role sea otters play in the coastal Pacific ecosystem. This grand, green version presents it to even younger readers and listeners, using a two-level text and vivid illustrations. Biologist Buhrman-Deever opens as if she were telling a fairy tale: “On the Pacific coast of North America, where the ocean meets the shore, there are forests that have no trees.” The treelike forms are kelp, home to numerous creatures. Two spreads show this lush underwater jungle before its king, the sea otter, is introduced. A delicate balance allows this system to flourish, but there was a time that hunting upset this balance. The writer is careful to blame not the Indigenous peoples who had always hunted the area, but “new people.” In smaller print she explains that Russian explorations spurred the development of an international fur trade. Trueman paints the scene, concentrating on an otter family threatened by formidable harpoons from an abstractly rendered person in a small boat, with a sailing ship in the distance. “People do not always understand at first the changes they cause when they take too much.” Sea urchins take over; a page turn reveals a barren landscape. Happily, the story ends well when hunting stops and the otters return…and with them, the kelp forests.
A simple but effective look at a keystone species. (further information, select bibliography, additional resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 26, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8934-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A highly simplified but inviting overview of marine biology.
What do marine biologists do?
To answer that question, Fliess focuses on fieldwork, certainly the most glamorous part of the job. After months of research, Maggie, a Black marine biologist, and her racially diverse team dive into the ocean to swim with humpback whales. They each have a different task, related to their personal research questions, and they’ve each brought different tools. The straightforward text offers general information about humpback whales, including migration, whale song, the use of fluke-slapping as an alarm signal, and diet (krill), as well as the importance of a hypothesis, part of the scientific method. At the conclusion of their research, the team members free a young whale calf trapped in a fishing net—an episode likely to appeal to young readers and listeners as well as a subtle reminder of the problem of trash in our waters. Depicting characters with round, oversize heads, Powell’s illustrations make the dive look both easy and fun, with scenes underwater and in the lab. One final spread includes relevant labels on images (flukes, dorsal ridge, plankton). Backmatter provides general information on marine biologists, what they do, and how to train to be one. There’s also a quick review of how Maggie and her group’s actions correspond to the scientific method. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A highly simplified but inviting overview of marine biology. (suggested reading) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8075-4158-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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