Janet Halfmann’s simple text introduces children to the life
cycle and habitat of the starfish. The text goes beyond simple sentences to
create pictures helping children understand the starfish’s movements and
habits. For example, “She inches along, twisting her flat body like a pretzel.”
“Like a circus acrobat, she folds over two of her rays and grips the rocky
shore with her sticky feet.”
Joan Paley’s illustrations are brightly colored and vibrant,
using hand painted paper to create collages showing the starfish going about
her everyday life. However, I found I wanted more detail in the illustrations
than was expressed in this medium. Halfmann’s detailed text would have been better
served by photographs or more intricate drawings showing the movements of the
starfish in detail. Some of the illustrations were confusing, not matching the
action described in the text. The flaming orange and rather lumpy starfish
seemed rather static.
Verdict: A strong text redeems this book from the rather blah
illustrations. I’m not aware of any other truly outstanding books on starfish, so I’d
recommend adding this one. Halfmann’s story makes for a good read-aloud and the
illustrations are passable, if not ideal.
Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators by Jim Arnosky
Verdict: Beautifully illustrated, carefully researched, and written
to appeal to children and adults, this book is a must have for your collection.
Spend a little extra time and money to reinforce the fold-outs, because this
book will be seeing a lot of use!
Roxie Munro’s interactive book about eggs is a fun choice
for story times, especially with an older or small group that can take time to
pick out all the details in the pictures.
The introduction explains that the book will introduce birds
and their eggs in a question and answer format and includes a “did you know?”
quiz section, with the answers included in the copyright information on the
facing page.
The first spread of each pair shows a clutch of eggs and
asks “Can you guess whose eggs these are?” facing a big colored speech bubble
that gives clues to the birds’ identity. Both of these are set against a plain
cream background. The following spread gives the answer and describes the bird
against a detailed illustration of the birds, their habitat, and a variety of
animals hidden in the landscape. A list of also included animals is placed
below the main text, giving additional seek and find fun. Featured birds
include Baltimore orioles, great horned owls, emperor penguins, mallard ducks,
cactus wrens, black-legged kittiwakes, ostriches, ruby-throated hummingbirds,
and bald eagles.
The final page includes further resources about birds, both
print and online, and a list of “fun bird words to learn.”
Verdict: This book is best for an elementary age audience – some of
those clues are hard! But I’ve used it successfully with a preschool audience,
shortening the chunks of text and inviting the kids to find the animals hidden
in the landscapes. A fun book about a variety of birds and their eggs with an
intriguing interactive component. Recommended.
ISBN: 978-0761458821; Published February 2011 by Marshall Cavendish; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library
Millbrook press gives Houghton Mifflin’s Scientists in the
Field series a run for their money with this fascinating investigation into the
ongoing research into an ecological mystery.
The book’s pages are a brilliant yellow with splashy green
leaves painted against the brilliant background. Against this colorful
background, photographs of researchers, local people, maps, and the golden
frogs themselves are strategically placed to blend with the bold text.
The story begins in 1996 when researchers discovered that
the golden frogs of the Panama rain forest were rapidly dying. The book
discusses the possible reasons for the deaths of the frogs and how the
scientists have researched these possibilities. As Markle explains the
scientist’s research into the possible reasons for the frogs’ death, she
explains facets of the frogs life. For example, when investigating changes in
habitat as a reason for the frogs’ death, she also includes spreads on what the
frogs need in their habitat. Other reasons include pollution and skin diseases.
Other frog researches joined in the search, finding a new kind of fungus that
was killing frogs all over the world. The scientists tried to find out how the
fungus was spreading and how it could be stopped, but meanwhile they needed to
save the few remaining frogs so they created Project Golden Frog to collect and
breed the remaining healthy frogs. Scientists are still trying to find a
permanent cure, but meanwhile the only known healthy golden frogs live in
aquariums. Their removal from the ecosystem of Panama affects the other animals
in the food chain, but until scientists find a way to stop the deadly fungus,
they cannot be returned to their environment.
An author’s note explains Sandra Markle’s interest in this
fascinating story. Additional information discusses the difference between
frogs and toads, how to help local frogs and get involved worldwide. A
glossary, further resources, index, and photo acknowledgements are also
included.
Verdict: This is a fascinating and well-written title. I appreciated
that it discusses a scientific research project that was ongoing, reinforcing
the idea that science is something that is still happening, not a cut and dried
experiment with a definite end and beginning as kids too often see in school.
It’s directed at a younger audience than the Scientist in the Field series
(yes, I’m a big fan) and is a great introduction for elementary age kids into
the world of science, research, and frogs.
Time to eat by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Steve Jenkins and Robin Page have produced another excellent
nonfiction book with their trademark paper collage illustrations. This small
book, 8x8, is one of a set of three, Time to Eat, Time to Sleep, and Time for a Bath. Time to Eat has three threads of text; short, bold exclamatory sentences
“Not shoots and leaves again!” and a simple sentence or brief paragraph about
the animal, “The giant panda chews on bamboo shoots for twelve hours a
day.” The book has a simple introduction
about the variety in animal diets and despite its small size features a
surprising number of animals, including a chipmunk, toad, anaconda, pelican,
blue whale, dung beetle, ostrich, and more. The book ends with a pictorial list
of all the animals and further information on each one.
Verdict: Like most of Jenkins and Page’s work, this is a great
nonfiction read-aloud for young children and an informative book for older
readers. I would especially recommend buying and reading all three books
together in this trilogy.
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