This book invites you to the tip of South Africa, the place the authors claim is the birth of the home sapiens. We return to Mother Ocean with gorgeouThis book invites you to the tip of South Africa, the place the authors claim is the birth of the home sapiens. We return to Mother Ocean with gorgeous, high-quality photographs and eloquent prose lighting the way. The book shows a tiny slice of the marine creatures that fill our oceans, providing us with a tantalizing view of a world that’s far more alien than anything shown in the movies.
It doesn’t proselytize. There are no messages about how this precious world must be preserved, no pictures of animals choking in plastic beer holders or filled with microplastics. There are no stern exhortations to cut down on plastic waste. However, now children can see a world worth preserving, creatures worth saving and an underwater kingdom that we must rescue if we are to aid ourselves.
Children will enjoy this book for what it is. Adults can let them understand its underlying message. This is a book that invites discussion, exploration and the serene joy of dreaming of a submarine world....more
This is a book of ideas turned into action. All actions start with an idea, a spark, a sudden look upward and around at what composes the world. WhethThis is a book of ideas turned into action. All actions start with an idea, a spark, a sudden look upward and around at what composes the world. Whether it’s a song, a poem, an opera, a novel—ideas will lead to it. Here, children around the world looked at what was happening, at the damage climate change was committing to their ground, their water, their very communities and decided it was time (or past it) to speak up and make a change.
The images are of these children and the actions they took. It’s all inspiring, humbling and frightening. Climate change has impacted the world and the effects may be accelerating. If the current generation is being affected by it, that means the planet may be unlivable in less than a century. These children saw it and took steps to combat it.
In the back of the book are short biographies of the poets, a helpful glossary about the terms used and, of course, actions we can take to fix our broken planet. This is a grand book to give to children and, perhaps, to worried adults as well....more
This small history of rubber has realistic illustrations featuring people from history along with simple chemistry lessons.
Some things were glossed oThis small history of rubber has realistic illustrations featuring people from history along with simple chemistry lessons.
Some things were glossed over in this book. The depicted story of Charles Goodyear omits the serendipity of his rubber discovery. He stumbled on vulcanization of rubber, it’s true. But it was a literal stumble. He tripped and some of the rubber he was holding fell onto a hot stove. Eureka! He’d discovered that vulcanization made rubber usable and workable. Alas, he was a terrible businessman and died penniless.
The history of rubber also involves theft and slavery. However, the book gets into that mostly in the back, where a child is unlikely to look. Still, if a child is using this as information to support a history paper, s/he might be thorough enough to read all the way to the end. Just follow the bouncing ball....more
What is a bromeliad? Well, the book doesn’t answer that right away but we get an inkling from the various faunae that congregate in and around it.
TheWhat is a bromeliad? Well, the book doesn’t answer that right away but we get an inkling from the various faunae that congregate in and around it.
The childish illustrations are nevertheless brightly hued, featuring a diverse number of creatures that fill the book’s pages. As the year continues, the number of creatures proliferate, causing the eye to flit all over the page to catch them all.
The book comes with a more in-depth explanation of the bromeliad and the two seasons that define its existence. The explanation doesn’t shy away from words like “epiphytes”. It also mentions the terrible deforestation that the Atlantic Forest has suffered and urges the need for conservation. Let’s hope this book inspires the next generation of thoughtful ecologists....more
With this slightly depressing beginning, the author launches into an historic and amusing story of how we manageThe iguanodon was dead, to begin with…
With this slightly depressing beginning, the author launches into an historic and amusing story of how we managed to put together dinosaur bones and, with them, dinosaur prehistory. As I’ve stated in a previous review, the process of scientific discover is one of occasional stumbling and missteps. Things are said, mistakes are made.
This book reiterates that truth. Science never brings you to an end goal or fixed point; it’s a process. So it was with dinosaurs. In the beginning, people stumbled upon bits and pieces of fossils. Incomplete evidence led to incomplete and, frankly, highly inaccurate conclusions.
The book takes us through that history, the early scientific exploration, the wrongful ideas, the laughably bad pictures and illustrations to the modern-day rebirth of dinosaur notions. Dinosaurs went from being pictured as dull, tail-dragging cold-blooded reptiles to beings that were more like birds…the precursors of contemporary feathered creatures.
Dinosaurs weren’t monsters or creatures out of myth and legend (I’m looking in your direction, Toothless!) but beings that were part of the world and might have had recognizable physical traits like color, spikes, horns and body fat.
The book comes with interesting, quirky facts in the back, including how renewed interest in dinos inspired Jurassic Park which in turn led to more interest in dinosaurs. It’s all one long ongoing process.
There are so many children out there who love dinosaurs. This book is just the thing for them. ...more
There have been books about famous falcons that have made New York City their home. But there are certain owls that have been spotted too. This childrThere have been books about famous falcons that have made New York City their home. But there are certain owls that have been spotted too. This children’s book brings them to life. With glowing eyes, mice as prey and short stories about their lives, we see how these creatures survive and thrive in one of the busiest cities in the world.
Not all owls are nocturnal, something I learned only recently. This book points that out as well, giving us an illustration of a Snowy Owl that appeared briefly in Central Park. (If I had to give her a name, it would be Peek-a-Boo from the sideways glance given from half-lowered eyelids.) While these birds are pictured as solitary, we don’t get a sense of distance. They attract the attention wherever they go as humans observe them, take pictures, make recordings and note their appearances and disappearances.
If there are children out there who are ornithophiles, they will enjoy getting this book as a gift....more
It’s always gratifying to read a children’s book that doesn’t pander or talk down to its readers. This author loved insects (and arachnids) from an eaIt’s always gratifying to read a children’s book that doesn’t pander or talk down to its readers. This author loved insects (and arachnids) from an early age and she called herself an “entomologist”. (If you don’t know what this means, you can infer it from the sentence.) She had friends who liked bugs when she was younger but they fell away to older children who thought she was weird and bugs were disgusting.
But Sophia got encouragement and love from her mother. That woman helped her find women who shared her passion and Sophia bloomed like a rose again.
Sophia Spencer was in fourth grade when she wrote this book in 2020. What an achiever! It just goes to show what children can be capable of when they get encouragement from the right people. It’s 2025 now. Who knows what she’ll do next?...more
What do you think of when you think of the American military? (No, don’t think about ICE agents. They’re a symptom of a horrific kakistocracy that’s tWhat do you think of when you think of the American military? (No, don’t think about ICE agents. They’re a symptom of a horrific kakistocracy that’s taken over the United States and rarely feature the properly trained individuals you’d find in a standing militia.) Do you imagine armed men and women in uniform, toting guns and firing at other armed combatants? Do you think of people in rolling tanks that can mow down a house? Do you picture soldiers launching grenades at enemy soldiers? Perhaps you envision a stern-faced general in a uniform bristling with medals from all the battles in which he achieved distinction.
If that’s what pops to mind, this book will astonish you. These military personnel are concerned with more than protecting our nation from foreign threats. They are dedicated to preserving wildlife and conservation. They work tirelessly to save forest habitats and the various florae and faunae that live there.
As human knowledge progresses, we often find ourselves stumbling and falling along the way. Thalidomide was considered beneficial for pregnant women and harmless for the fetuses they carried—until their babies were born without legs or fingers coming out of their shoulders. Heroin was thought the perfect painkiller until it created a dangerous addiction for its users, a legacy that sadly persists today. Forest fires of any kind were thought to be dangerous and destructive and efforts were made to eradicate them at the first sign of smoke. If you’re old enough, you probably remember the Smokey the Bear ads that used to appear on television.
However, this book states that wildfires are a necessary and vital part of the ecosystem and preventing them had catastrophic domino effects on many forests in the United States. Thick shrubbery choked out necessary trees and understory shrubs blocked out the sunlight for low-growing grasses and other plants that certain animals rely on to survive. Here, too, the military provides a service by cautiously creating fires that root out deleterious faunae. Who knew?
So the U.S. military provides protection for endangered animals so they won’t be hunted, carefully ignites fires, observes animals that may need listing on the Endangered Species list, provides refuges for animals that are a nuisance elsewhere and keeps a sharp eye out for invasive species.
This is a book of wonder, an informative short that shines a new light on the women and men who form the armed forces of the United States. I recommend this, not just for children, but for adults who may have not known just how beneficial and dedicated to preserving life on our planet the American military is....more
This children’s book takes a whimsical tone as a clothed otter lifts a curtain and takes the reader on a backstage look at some of the tiniest mammalsThis children’s book takes a whimsical tone as a clothed otter lifts a curtain and takes the reader on a backstage look at some of the tiniest mammals on the planet. Each creature is showcased in a frame with a legend of a pointing finger stating “ACTUAL SIZE!” Ha!
The faunae get progressively tinier, with painted images so well crafted they seem ready to leap off the page. They are accompanied by small paragraphs giving a few details of how they live, sleep and eat. The book ends with images of flash cards with more information about the beasties, including habitats and scientific Latin names.
I like informative books with great pictures and this book more than meets those criteria....more
This is a title to catch the attention. How many books tell you what’s not in their contents?
So we have an alphabet of moths, ranging from A to Z. ThThis is a title to catch the attention. How many books tell you what’s not in their contents?
So we have an alphabet of moths, ranging from A to Z. The pictures are bright-hued, oversized (or actual sized) images of moths you’ve likely never heard of before nor seen in your backyard. They are brown, white, plain, zigzagged, feathery, innocuous looking or deceptively scary in appearance.
Dotted within the book is various information about moths and other creatures. Thus, there is definitely more to this children’s book than a quirky title. Recommended for the budding lepidopterist in your nursery....more
Yoshitaro’s story of being captured, housed in a sea exhibit and ultimately released is one of those heartwarming recountings of animal/human relationYoshitaro’s story of being captured, housed in a sea exhibit and ultimately released is one of those heartwarming recountings of animal/human relations. Filled with deep-hued blue pictures of ocean and sea depths, realistic-looking images of marine animals and the constant reiteration “Hello from Yoshi. I am here.”, this book gives us a seaview of a loggerhead turtle’s lengthy journey to find where she belongs.
The book also includes an anatomical chart, lists of predators and habitats and lots of other information about loggerhead turtles. Children who are fascinated by the myriad waters that bound our planet and the various fauna that live in them will adore this tale. Whether they do or not, it’s a special look at a creature who became, at least for a while, a well-known world traveler....more
This is part of a series but this book can stand on its own…just like the dwarf planet itself. It took a long while for Pluto to be discovered. Being This is part of a series but this book can stand on its own…just like the dwarf planet itself. It took a long while for Pluto to be discovered. Being the farthest from the sun, it was rather hard to see. But seen it was! It got a name, it got recognition. Then it got demoted from planet to dwarf planet.
In this book, Pluto is given a personality. Playful, friendly and happy to share its skies and orbits with others, we have the image of a small sibling who doesn’t mind being the runt of the litter. The book is colorful, plays to children’s curiosity and may be of comfort to the littlest child in a large family. The message is plain: You may be overlooked sometimes but you’re still special....more
What is it that fuels scientific debate and discovery? A belief in god and its creations? A denial of religion? The urge to contribute to human knowleWhat is it that fuels scientific debate and discovery? A belief in god and its creations? A denial of religion? The urge to contribute to human knowledge, welfare and advancement? How about the desire to kick somebody firmly in the teeth?
This children’s book shows what happens when friendship fractures, when devoted comrades become bitter enemies and the urge for one-upmanship outweighs all other considerations. Both men here seemed to act like children, at times resorting to outrageous behavior in order to outdo the other in the search for the biggest, most impressive dinosaur. Othniel C. Marsh found more dinosaur skeletons but Edward Cope published more papers, training another paleontologist to follow in his footsteps.
However, there is no clear winner to this contest…except for us. Because of their ongoing rivalry, museums across the world have dinosaur skeletons that awe and delight countless visitors today. (Think how it would enhance a dinosaur exhibit to have a guide relate how these dinosaur hunters had their digging teams throwing rocks at each other. Hilarious!)...more
This book was found in the children’s section of my library—which may be a mistake. The images are colorful, vibrant and shockingly realistic (the oneThis book was found in the children’s section of my library—which may be a mistake. The images are colorful, vibrant and shockingly realistic (the one of the Greenland shark is particularly…disturbing). The attendant text is easy to follow but doesn’t pander. They feature long words, Latin phrases and sometimes explanations of complex lifespans.
The creatures featured within range from the familiar to the unusual to the downright bizarre. Mammals, crustaceans, invertebrates, mollusks, etc., have their places within these pages. The book doesn’t discriminate or play favorites. Creatures of land, sky, ice, desert or deep sea frolic, cavort or sleep within these pages.
Far from being a simple children’s book, I believe that this book will appeal only to children with an avid inquisitiveness about the unusual aspects of life on this planet. Some tots may even discover beings that will come to be favorites. Does your child fancy whales? Is s/he wondering about crocodiles, with their links to ancient dinosaurs? Perhaps their fancy is tickled by the immortal jellyfish, a thing that escapes danger by repeatedly rejuvenating itself. Yowza.
If you have that kind of child or know one who scorns simple fairy tales, craves learning about the world or has to write a composition paper for that demanding science teacher, show her/him this. How better to start learning about life on this planet than to know just how long other beings have to live it?...more
This taut scientific thriller poses the question: What if we could get rid of the tendency toward violence in men?
This scientific thriller poses hard This taut scientific thriller poses the question: What if we could get rid of the tendency toward violence in men?
This scientific thriller poses hard questions, philosophical questions, about what makes a violent criminal—is it genes or upbringing? Is it something in the brain that can be cured or is it an incurable problem? Is incarceration (a solution that is seen as increasingly untenable) or medication the answer?
Setting a terrible solution in motion are four women, three scientists and one politician aiming at the presidency. They’re all very different people but they’re united in bringing their own solution to bear. With WWIII looming on the horizon, it seems that biochemical warfare is the only solution.
The scenes shift back and forth among the various characters, especially the women. Alice Prince and Madeline Naylor form a yin-yang duo that seems to work very well—until it doesn’t. Kathryn Kerr’s brilliance and confident belief in her scientific methods runs aground when it meets with the ruthless skullduggery the other two women have been practicing behind her back.
(view spoiler)[With the balance of power shifting from men to women, it makes you wonder what a world without men would be like or just a world without the violence men typically bring to the table. The ending of the book barely touches on that, jumping from the final act of Madeline to a world set 100 years later. The abrupt shift doesn’t let us know much except that peace has been the state of affairs around the world and hints that this may not have been the boon mankind thinks it is. But that’s all we get. (hide spoiler)]
If there’s a weak link in this novel, it’s Madeline Naylor. She’s a cold-blooded, ruthless killer with the icy certainty that she’s doing the right thing. She can be charming and serene but also merciless. She’s a powerful character who looms large in every scene in which she appears. However, she has the utter callousness and conviction of a cartoon villain, albeit without the cackling and monologuing. This treatment flattens her character and makes her two dimensional, unlike the people around her. We get an inkling as to why she’s like this but it’s not enough to make her character and motivations believable.
Still, the novel hits hard and touches on some very important current political and social problems. What would it take to stop criminal brutality in men? And would that be enough to bring peace on earth?...more
Have you ever cut yourself and sucked your blood? Have you ever chewed your own fingernails? Toenails? Nibbled on a piece of hangnail? No? LIAR!
Well,Have you ever cut yourself and sucked your blood? Have you ever chewed your own fingernails? Toenails? Nibbled on a piece of hangnail? No? LIAR!
Well, that’s not what we think about when we define cannibalism—is it? Professor Schutt might draw the line at that.
His book probes the notion of cannibalism from a naturalist’s point of view. He’s a biology professor and knows his stuff. As the cover image shows and the subtitle states, cannibalism is rampant throughout nature. Mr. Schutt calmly accepts it as part of the biological world, a display of what we mean when we talk about “nature red in tooth and claw”.
Mammals, insects and various other fauna will chow down on mates, rivals, offspring (their own and others) if it means a quick and easy meal. Evolution plays its grim part in all this: the sand tiger shark has her offspring devouring their unhatched and hatched siblings until only two are left alive. Like the cuckoo, which chucks the unhatched and hatched birds out of a nest, this ensures that nature isn’t overrun with those too weak to survive.
The bulk of the book deals with the simplicity of natural cannibalism. As Mr. Schutt points out, there are no gray areas in nature, no moral issues to wrestle with, no manners and mores to discuss, no native cultures to obscure. When there are too many males and resources are limted, the female spiders eat them. Fish devour their own eggs. Male chimpanzees kill and eat the baby chimps born from another male.
Mr. Schutt teases us with mentions of human tribes that do consume their dead as ritual custom and long-time practice. For those who already know of the Fore tribe, we might wonder why he takes so long to get to that point. That’s because humanity muddies the waters. Within his book, many people debate the extent to which our ancestors committed cannibalism and the answers aren’t clear. Did it happen? To what extent? Did the kuru (laughing disease) that we suspect came from modern-day cannibalism result as a partial extinction event of the Neanderthals?
The book starts off as simple, understandable natural scenarios and then delves into difficult, scientific jargon, complete with words like “proteinaceous”, “amyloid fibers” and “spongiform encephalopathies”. Mr. Schutt does his best to keep this part understandable. But people who like the simplicity of the nature channels on tv may find the latter passages of the book baffling.
However, the book ends with a forbidding warning, tucked away in an old Charlton Heston film, of all things. In recent centuries, mankind has resorted to eating their own dead when circumstances forced them to it. Given desert areas that are advancing across Africa, the latest terrifying changes in American governmental policies and the undeniable deleterious effects of climate change, could famine be in our immediate future? If so, what will human beings do to survive?...more
It’s hard for me to give solid commentary about this book. It’s presented in understandable words, for the most part. Mr. Hawking omits the truly compIt’s hard for me to give solid commentary about this book. It’s presented in understandable words, for the most part. Mr. Hawking omits the truly complicated mathematical equations that no doubt are the bases for most of his theorems.
But it’s far above my head. It’s the kind of work that refuses to stick just minutes after finishing a passage unless you’re really versed in astrophysics, probably with a masters and doctorate degree under your belt. I can’t give it a high star review when I didn’t comprehend most of it. However, I can’t give it a low score for that very same reason. Just because I don’t understand it doesn’t mean that it lacks merit.
What I get is the sense of the man himself. At certain passages, he’s cheery, willing to admit that science gets it wrong and that theories fall out of fashion when it’s proven that they don’t work. He explains just what a theory is and what it’s meant to do. It’s never about proving anything. He’s patient in his explanations. He’s not above pointing out his own achievements and accomplishments although there is no sense of braggadocio.
In spite of knowing that his ALS came with a very short lifespan, he persevered and managed to beat the odds. He’s not triumphant about that fact nor do we get a sense that he was racing against the clock to get his life’s work done. He merely persevered.
You do perceive a sense of sexism. It’s obvious from the names he drops throughout that this field of science was very much an all-boys club. In the acknowledgements at the end, he is grateful towards his secretaries (who are all female) and his assistants (who are all male). Had he lived longer, who knows what changes he might have seen today in his field of study?
It’s a fascinating book and a small peek into the mind of one of the greatest astrophysicists this world has ever known....more
This book is the grownup version of Inside Out 2, albeit with gunplay, serial killers and stalking included. (If you haven’t seen that movie, I urge yThis book is the grownup version of Inside Out 2, albeit with gunplay, serial killers and stalking included. (If you haven’t seen that movie, I urge you to do so. It’s ripping good stuff.)
Mr. De Becker was a childhood victim. He was a witness to violence, grew up with it in his home. He grew to a point where he was desensitized to what other people would call fearful situations. He might have succumbed to the ugly lessons of what he saw, becoming yet another perpetrator of violence towards others. He was in a group of other people who’d been traumatized by such things. One criminal wondered how it was that, coming from similar backgrounds, Mr. De Becker wore a suit, had a decent job and got to go home while he was poor, incarcerated and had to sleep in a jail cell.
Mr. De Becker had help. Then he offered help to others. In this book, he outlines how fear can be our ally, how to tell the difference between a potential dangerous situation and the bêtes noirs that lurks in our minds and can torture us with impossible, nonsensical scenarios that never happen. He teaches us that our instincts aren’t necessarily to be dismissed because they seem silly. He outlines guidance on how to identify, recognize and deal with “difficult” people such as controlling partners, co-workers who make the workplace toxic for fellow employees and, believe it or not, home invaders.
The book is peppered with testimonies from people who have escaped successfully from their attackers and burglars, celebrities who have escaped being murdered by their creepy stalkers. He has compiled a group of people who regularly sift through correspondence and determine who are harmless fans and who have the potential to become active threats. (E.g., If they’ve sold all their belongings, traveled thousands of miles to be near their crush and have compiled intimate details about their target’s lifestyle, those are MAJOR red flags.)
Ranging from the personal to the world stage, this book is a regular how-to in how to sort real threats from minor annoyances. I highly recommend it to anyone who’s ever been afraid of those lurking shadows in the car park, the strangers who seem to proliferate overnight on the street, the 10,000th fan letter received from one over-zealous devotee or how to vet the new babysitter. It’s the self-help guide that every modern urban dweller has needed, even if they didn’t know they needed it. ...more
Poor Sammy. He's expecting to migrate to Panama with the rest of his flock. But he wakes up to find out they've all left without him! What the actual Poor Sammy. He's expecting to migrate to Panama with the rest of his flock. But he wakes up to find out they've all left without him! What the actual he--?!? It's like an avian version of Home Alone!
Shoving aside any feelings of abandonment, he sets off without them and promptly gets lost. His journey takes him far afield as he encounters various real-life animals on their own personal preparations for the change in seasons. It's educational material posed as a small bird's bumbling attempts to get to Central America.
I wondered why Sammy didn't take advantage of the various insects he meets along the way, seeing as he's an insectivorous animal. Then again, he gets swept up in a kaleidoscope of monarchs and they're poisonous to birds. So it makes sense he's not noshing on six-legged creepy crawlies.
The illustrations are lovely dashes of color within simple lines. They also look like cut-outs framed against watercolor backgrounds, which gives them a visual "pop". They look almost three dimensional.
Sammy finally gets where he's going and I wonder what he'll tell his fellow warblers about his peripatetic wanderings. If I were he, I'd give them a good talking to about checking to see if everybody is part of the flock before taking off for another country....more
Carl Sagan once stated that we are made of starstuff. With this simple yet poetic statement, he encapsulates the contents of this children’s book.
ThisCarl Sagan once stated that we are made of starstuff. With this simple yet poetic statement, he encapsulates the contents of this children’s book.
This book is chock full of information about the various parts that make up humanity and indeed the rest of the universe. As such, it will be above the heads of most children; I imagine a lot of humans might find it a challenge. The simplicity of the first few pages are followed by pages that describe atoms, nuclei, protons, neutrons, organelles, lysosomes and a lot of other words that would stump spelling bee entrants.
While this is a very educational book, I’m wondering for whom it was written. Your average child may enjoy the pictures but find themselves vastly puzzled by the plethora of data swarming on the page. The pictures show things that are downright bizarre (although many children like the outré) and the wealth of knowledge accompanying them aren’t things that will stick in the mind of your typical child.
Still, the pictures are bizarrely beautiful and the child with a tenacious mind may come back to it if they’re willing to wrestle with its various complicated verbiage....more
