Shelf Awareness--Around Antarctica

PB Review: Around Antarctica

Around Antarctica: Exploring the Frozen South by Tania Medvedeva, illus. by Maria Vyshinskaya (Chronicle, hardcover, 48p., ages 5-8, 9781452172873)

Tania Medvedeva and Maria Vyshinskaya's wonderfully informative, beautifully designed long-form picture book follows Tom, a "top-notch journalist," as he joins an expedition to visit a research station in Antarctica.

A trip to this "mysterious frozen continent" requires warm clothes, but no visa because "Antarctica doesn't belong to any country." There's no military presence or mining, but there is a cooperative world research center, where "scientists from different countries share their research plans and results." Upon arrival, Tom learns rules designed to keep visitors safe, how the center itself functions (accompanied by a cutaway view of this bustling hub) and about different kinds of scientific research taking place. Meteorologists study the earth's atmosphere and ozone layer, a glaciologist and her team inspect ice samples, the oceanologists analyze Antarctica's unique waters and there are scientists who investigate the "more than 20,000 species of living things" that can be found here, including penguins, seals and "hundreds of different species of bacteria."

Reporter Tom's experience provides a continuity that allows Medvedeva to frame her work as a story while packing it with wide-ranging yet pertinent information. The detailed, colorful illustrations enhance and augment the informative yet playful text (such as a timeline of global explorers to Antarctica) and interactive nature of the book's design: a quarter-circle format that opens into a hemisphere with several gatefolds that open into full circles. Around Antarctica delivers a surprisingly thorough survey of this "harsh," complex "icy continent." It strongly conveys the usefulness in studying the area, as well as the need to protect it because, as Tom ultimately realizes, our entire planet is "a single organism. Beautiful, strange, mighty, harsh, fragile... and every action we take affects it." --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.

February's Book of the Month--A Bear, a Bee, and a Honey Tree

A BEAR, A BEE, AND A HONEY TREE, written by Daniel Bernstrom and illustrated by by Brandon James Scott, makes clever use of its minimal text to to tell an entertaining story of—well, you guessed it—a bear, a bee, and honey tree!

“A hungry bear” wakes up and climbs to a golden meal in “a honey tree,” but a busy, “very angry fuzzy bee”—and another “million fuzzy buzzing bees”—all have something to say about this.

The simple story is greatly enhanced by the jaunty tone, with wordplay, rhyme, and repetition playing a huge part in its appeal. The vocabulary and structure make it a great choice for early readers, but pre-readers will enjoy the tongue-twistery aspect, as well.

Brightly colored digital illustrations do well by the text. The wide-eyed bear with a mouth full of honey reacting first to the one bee, and then to the emerging swarm, is picture book perfection.

Although he loses this first round, the final spread suggests our bear may be persistent… Pair it with Julie Hedlund’s and Michael Slack’s OVER, BEAR! UNDER, WHERE? for more beary low word count fun!

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--The Fire of Stars

PB Review: The Fire of Stars

The Fire of Stars: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars Are Made Of by Kirsten W. Larson, illus. by Katherine Roy (Chronicle, hardcover, 48p., ages 5-8, 9781452172873)

In this refreshing, revealing picture book, Cecilia Payne's growth from driven, inquisitive girl to celebrated astronomer is perfectly paired with a lyrical description of the birth of a star.

Young Cecilia "realizes all by herself" that orchids have petals like a bee's belly to trick the bees and her body hums with a "lightning bolt of discovery." The "fields and flowers" inspire Cecilia, but the family moves to London. Cecilia's new school feels like "a black hole," so she pursues scientific study on her own. She eventually wins a scholarship to the University of Cambridge and "yearn[s] to feel that lightning bolt of discovery again." When Cecilia attends a lecture by a noted astronomer, "her brain buzzes." She switches her focus to physics and becomes "the only woman in a galaxy of men." After graduation, Cecilia works at Harvard where she is finally surrounded by other like-minded women. She devotes herself to studying the mystery of "what stars really are" and, through "careful calculations and hours of observation," she discovers "the exact recipe for what makes the stars."

Kirsten Larson (A True Wonder) deftly weaves together her compelling biography of an important woman who "stick[s] to her path" despite the odds. The decision to parallel Cecilia's development with that of an emerging star is an inspired one, and Katherine Roy (Red Rover) uses pencil, ink and digital color to create luminous illustrations that crackle with energy. Extensive back matter includes further discussion of Cecilia's life and accomplishments, along with an elaboration on the process of how "a star is born." --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.

Shelf Awareness--Spice Road

YA Review: Spice Road

Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim (Delacorte Press, 464p., ages 13-up, 9780593126967)

Spellbinding magic, lush description and whirlwind action define Maiya Ibrahim's YA debut, Spice Road.

Seventeen-year-old Imani, Qalia's youngest Shield, is tasked with defending her country's walls from a "never-ending onslaught of monsters," which include djinn, ghouls and sand serpents. Shields awaken their magical abilities by imbibing misra (the Spice gifted by the Great Spirit) in a daily tea ceremony. But misra and the city of Qalia itself are meant to be kept secret from the outside world. When Imani learns brother Atheer, whom she thought dead, may have shared the existence of both with outsiders, she knows she must find him. Rival Shield Taha, with a mysterious directive to protect Qalia's secrets, leads the mission, from which Imani fears Atheer will be brought home in chains. Imani will need to use her magical affinity for steel, as well as the djinni she has--illegally--bound to her dagger, to find Atheer before Taha does. Secrets have been at the core of Imani's worldview but, like her brother before her, the farther Imani journeys, the closer she believes she is getting to truth.

Ibrahim's addictive fantasy takes place in an Arabian-inspired land and depicts a close-knit society that clings to solitude and a strict adherence to rules. In Imani, she crafts a sheltered warrior whose worldview expands philosophically as it does geographically; readers will find much to admire in this powerful young woman who learns that thinking for herself is as vital as the magic she wields. This first book in a series should attract Black Panther fans and readers of epic fantasy alike. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.