Published by Candlewick

Summary:  A pile of bones on the ocean floor slowly reassembles itself into a pirate with the help of some sea creatures.  “Help me find my head bone, my pillowed-on-the-bed bone, the pirate’s flag-of-dread bone–I’m scouting out my skull.”  He continues working his way down, each rhyme ending with the name of the bone he’s seeking: from mandible and clavicle all the way to tibia, fibula, and phalanges.  At last, he’s ready to don his pirate’s hat, and climb aboard his shipwrecked ship where he’s sure he’ll find treasure–”I feel it in my bones!” The endpapers show the separate bones on the front and a labeled skeleton on the back.  40 pages; ages 4-9.

Pros:  Although this has the feel of a preschool-to-primary-grade picture book, older kids would find this a humorous introduction to different bones.  The rhymes are catchy and the skeleton is oddly endearing. It could even be a nice alternative to traditional Halloween reading. Great fun!

Cons:  Back matter about the skeleton with additional resources would have been useful.

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Published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Summary:  Before the Industrial Revolution, most peppered moths had speckled wings.  The ones that were all black didn’t blend into tree bark as well and were more likely to get eaten.  But the smoke and soot from burning coal turned tree bark black, and before long, there were more black peppered moths than speckled ones.  After clean air laws were passed in the middle of the 20th century, the proportions started to shift again as tree bark returned to its original color. Includes additional information that explains defines evolution, natural selection, and adaptation.  48 pages; grades 1-5.

Pros:  How do you explain evolution and natural selection to a 7-year-old?  Isabel Thomas has done an amazing job here, ably assisted by Daniel Egneús collage-style illustrations.  The blue and silver cover is particularly eye-catching. This belongs in the science section of every elementary library.

Cons:  No photos of the real moths.

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Published by HMH Books for Young Readers

Summary:  Steve Jenkins and Robin Page take a tour of different habitats–coral reefs, trees, the Arctic, etc.–and show how animals blend in to hide themselves in each one.  There are two cut-paper illustrations for each animal, one against a white background and one in which the animal is camouflaged. Each page has a couple sentences of introductory text; the rest is brief captions for the illustrations.  Additional information about each of the 36 animals is given at the end, along with thumbnail illustrations. Also includes books and websites for additional research. 40 pages; grades K-3.

Pros:  As you may already know, I’m a big fan of Steve Jenkins books (I’ve only reviewed nine), and this one includes many of his beautiful trademark collage illustrations.  As usual, the information is fun and accessible for primary grade readers.

Cons:  This lacked the wow factor of some of my favorite Jenkins books like Biggest, Strongest, Fastest and  Animals By the Numbers. 

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Published by Clarion Books

Summary:  Ninita is a pygmy marmoset, the smallest kind of monkey in the world, who was born deaf and abandoned by her parents after a few weeks.  Rescued by humans, she found a new home at the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation in Florida, where she thrived. Eventually, she was introduced to a male pygmy marmoset, Mr. Big, and the two now live together at the Foundation.  Includes additional information about pygmy marmosets and the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation, along with a couple of photos of Ninita. 32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  This cute animal story with its messages of love and friendship will undoubtedly appeal to a wide variety of young readers.  

Cons:  There’s quite a bit of anthropomorphism, e.g., “Ninita wished she had a marmoset friend to share her adventures.”

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Published by Boyds Mills Press

Summary:  Who can resist a bowl of buttery, salty popcorn?  It’s one of the top snacks in the U.S., this book tells us, with an annual consumption of four and a half billion gallons.  If you’ve ever wondered how the popcorn gets to your movie theater, you’ll find some answers here, beginning in the Corn Belt, where over ninety million acres of corn are grown each year.  You’ll learn about the different types of corn, how popcorn is processed, and what causes the hard kernels to explode into the light, fluffy snack. There’s a brief history of popcorn at the end, along with a list of books and websites for further research.  32 pages; ages 4-8.

Pros:  The straightforward writing with kid-friendly explanations (“plants that stretch so tall that they could tickle the chin of a young giraffe”) and lots of photos showing a diverse group of kids make this a great nonfiction choice for preschool and early elementary ages.

Cons:  I guess it’s unknowable, but I’ve always wondered how the first consumers of popcorn figured out that those hard kernels could pop.  This book doesn’t offer any speculation on that.

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