A well-intentioned project that falls short of the illumination it promises.
Introducing Indigenous children from around the globe.
The two-page spreads in this work translated from Spanish feature profiles of several paragraphs in the voices of Indigenous children who address an implicitly non-Native reader, alongside beautiful full-page color portraits with natural elements of their homelands superimposed across their faces. Author and illustrator Cardozo, the French-born daughter of Uruguayan refugees, includes 22 societies, such as the Orang Rimba of present-day Indonesia, the Cherokee of the present-day southeastern U.S., and the Tz’utujil of present-day Guatemala. The profiles name each of the peoples’ current territory, population, and spoken language. The backmatter touches on the impact of the forces of consumerism and imperialism and will require adult support for additional context and clarification. Although the author’s note indicates a desire to uplift those “whose ancestral wisdom has so much to teach us” and to help readers understand that “WE ARE ALL ONE,” the profiles too often flatten the Indigenous subjects through the use of romanticized language that evokes stereotypes (“I wonder if all Tuareg women, strong and wise, are descended from her”). The absence of details that would make the subjects feel more like real, everyday children will likely undermine a genuine connection with young readers. Due to the text’s brevity, some information about the cultures is highly generalized. A QR code links to the book’s sources, predominantly materials by non-Indigenous peoples, including a source whose experiences in Africa came about through missionary work.
A well-intentioned project that falls short of the illumination it promises. (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9781636551555
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Red Comet Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
How and when the Western Hemisphere, particularly North and South America, came to be populated continues to be both mysterious and controversial for scientists. Archaeologists plug away with the tools at their disposal but have “more questions than answers.” Harrison does a good job setting the issue in context. He describes the earliest efforts to identify the original inhabitants of the continents, exploring the Clovis culture, believed by many to be the first humans to reach North America. After clearly explaining how scholars decided that they were first, he then lists the arguments against this hypothesis. In the course of looking at both sides, he introduces young readers to “the strict rules of archaeology.” The author demonstrates the precise work of those attempting to understand the hidden aspects of human history and how many of these old questions are seen in the light of new technologies and discoveries. The narrative is aided by both photographs and original illustrations that imagine scenes from both the distant past and the field experiences. (glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-561-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2010
"A human is a pretty wild thing," argues the author of this collection of curious facts and intriguing studies about human behavior. With a breezy text supported by a lively design, the author of Gross Universe (2004) again presents science in a way certain to attract middle-grade and middle-school readers. Chapters on the senses, emotions, communication and interactions with other human beings cover a variety of topics, each on headlined double-page spreads. Each chapter includes a description of “a cool study” organized into appropriate sections: question, observation, experiment (illustrated with step by step cartoons), results and summary. “Are you an animal?” sidebars describe comparable animal behavior. From dirty diapers to canned laughter to body language, he finds topics that both appeal and enlighten. Directly addressing readers, he invites participation by asking questions—“How are you sitting right now?” “Does smell affect your dreams?” “Does your heart race when….?”—and draws them in further with do-it-yourself experiments. A section on good manners even includes guidelines for behavior at a concert—differentiating between classical and rock. The digital art includes bits of photographs, line drawings, the use of color and shapes to help organize the print and plenty of symbols. No specific sources are cited, but an extensive list of experts is acknowledged. Popular science through and through, you can’t help enjoying this. (index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-926818-07-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Maple Tree Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2011
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