School Library Journal Review
| PreS-Gr 2-From the creative team behind You Are Stardust (Owlkids, 2012) comes a new picture book encouraging readers to ask questions and observe the answers found in nature. Every creature has problems and ways of discovering solutions to fit a specific need. Using examples from wildlife, the author asks children to learn from the ingenuity of animals and apply their creativity to human problem solving. "Pigeons procrastinate. Bees calculate. Elephants innovate." Much can be learned from careful observation of the world around us-just as some squirrels learn to cross a busy street by watching humans, we can learn from watching other species. Some may be "wild ideas," like the way chimpanzees invent drinking spoons from folded leaves, while others reinforce ideas we might already employ. "Killer whales rely on their mothers' wisdom. Baboons get guidance from their dads." The full-color, full-page illustrations are all dioramas that depict the animals and children interacting. Although many scenes are quite busy and full of detail, the text, sometimes in varying sizes, is clear and easy to read. An author's endnote explains the research involved. VERDICT Although most readers will be drawn to this book because of the animal content, they might pick up some problem-solving skills in the process.-Sara-Jo Lupo Sites, George F. Johnson Memorial Library, Endicott, NY © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. |
Booklist Review
| Drawing on the activities of animals in nature, Kelsey offers problem-solving strategies for children that include observation, mimicry, and trust. Squirrels learn to cross the street by watching people. Otters and chimpanzees manipulate items in their environment to eat and drink. Dung beetles navigate by the stars. Kelsey presents simple, powerful examples in warm, accessible language, focusing more on inspiration than scientific documentation, and making her wild ideas concrete and meaningful. Kim brings it all to life in three-dimensional dioramas where a multicultural cast of young children interacts with the animals in their habitats, whether by riding ravens or nesting with orangutans. The artist strings pieces of cut and painted paper, fabric, and bits of ephemera on visible webs of monofilament, photographing them with perceptible depth of field and reinforcing the problem-solving theme by making plain her own ingenious process. An author's note substantiates the science with a few fleshed-out examples and a website for further investigation. Beautifully presented and rich in ideas.--Barthelmess, Thom Copyright 2010 Booklist |
