An advocacy-focused journey through centuries of solar development.
Newbery Medalist Keller traces humanity’s evolving relationship with solar energy across cultures and centuries.
From ancient passive solar homes to contemporary biodegradable solar panels, this informational picture book considers the development of solar technology through the efforts of individual innovators and global collaborations alike. Keller’s strength lies in demonstrating how ideas grow across people, places, and generations, from Augustin Mouchot’s 19th-century solar steam engine to Shi Zhengrong’s modern Chinese solar company. The lyrical text includes compelling scientific details that will intrigue young readers, such as selenium being found in sunflower seeds or how Japanese engineers put tiny solar panels in everyday objects “so anyone / can hold the sun.” But the narrative occasionally presents complex energy issues in stark black-and-white terms, particularly when contrasting solar innovators with personified fossil fuel companies: “Like false prophets / of profit, / oil companies prey / on human weakness / and pay politicians to keep digging. / They bury truth deep / and bury us deeper.” Environmental activists will praise the messaging, while those seeking a more nuanced exploration of this complex topic may be disappointed by the us vs. them framing. Wada’s illustrations employ strategic use of light and shadow—golden rays emanate from innovators, while darker, angular compositions frame industrial scenes. The art effectively uses sun imagery as both literal illumination and metaphorical enlightenment, and the text and images are well balanced across spreads, preventing visual chaos.
An advocacy-focused journey through centuries of solar development. (author’s note, timeline) (Informational picture book. 7-12)Pub Date: June 17, 2025
ISBN: 9781324031123
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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
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
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