More science-based imagination for readers with a passion for prehistoric reptiles.
An album of portraits of aquatic reptiles of the Mesozoic Era.
This fourth volume in a series that promises to cover much of past and present life on Earth continues to focus on the age of reptiles. The illustrations, paintings based on life-sized models, are accompanied by imagined stories about the creatures as well as facts about their place in reptile history. The creators covered much of the same time period in Secrets of Ancient Sea Monsters (2021) and reuse some of those pictures, but the organization and accompanying information are different. Gone are the fast facts that were found on the bottoms of the pages of earlier volumes; this one has longer and more imaginative stories. Yang gives his subjects emotions, motivations, and even occasional conversations. This volume is roughly organized in a chronological manner over the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. In a final summary of this history, the writer seems to ascribe evolutionary changes to the desires of the different species—though this may be partly an artifact of translation: “The powerful plesiosaurs were confidently replacing the ichthyosaurs as the hegemon of the ocean.” Chen’s translation is reasonably smooth, but words like hegemon, maxilla, and volatile are likely to be as unfamiliar to young readers as the scientific names of the species themselves. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
More science-based imagination for readers with a passion for prehistoric reptiles. (references, index, project plan) (Informational picture book. 8-12)Pub Date: Dec. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-61254-530-1
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Brown Books Kids
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
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
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information.
Two youngsters embark on a journey peppered with history, trivia, and skits while teaching money lessons.
Meet Mellody and John, the young stars of this currency showcase. Their very first dialogue offers a taste of the intriguing information to come, from the ancient Mayans’ use of cacao beans as payment to the origins of the piggy bank. The book offers a chronologically and geographically broad timeline of the history of money, encompassing the past 3.9 billion years (starting with meteorite crashes that scattered metals—“the very first bank deposit”) and referencing practices across five continents. Readers will find themselves eagerly sharing the facts gleaned here, including the centuries-old origins of terms and expressions still used today. Mellody and John’s fun banter crucially reflects their experiences with money, such as their families’ differing attitudes toward allowances. Both are savers as well as givers, sharing stories about giving to charity. In one especially entertaining section, a cat and a bunny converse in money-related catchphrases that are separately defined at the bottom of each page. Stevens’ watercolors are appropriately realistic and appealing, whether depicting Mellody’s pretend bank or Elizabeth II’s butler ironing a 10-pound note. Messages about money’s use as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, ensure that readers will think about their own purposes for their savings. Mellody and John are Black.
A variety show brimming with esoteric and practical information. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781536224719
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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