Review by 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
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by 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.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
If squirrels can learn to cross roads by watching people, what can you learn by watching squirrels?" It's a reasonable premise: readers learn problem-solving by observing nature and by seeking support from friends and family. Unfortunately, disjointed connections and ideas obscure meaning in the oblique text. There's lots to see in the busy mixed-media dioramas, but many images lack a focal point. (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Finding solutions to sticky problems can be a mind-expanding adventure.The creative team behind You Are Stardust (2012) again blends science with a philosophical spark that demands thoughtful inquiry. Employing well-researched facts, Kelsey focuses on the rather remarkable adaptations and achievements of animals. Watch how chimps fold leaves to spoon water or how orangutans create a safe place in which to study a problem and make plans. Sea otters use rocks to crack crabs. Other animals cooperate to carry out actions that will provide food or safety. Animals large and small use both their natural gifts and surprising powers of invention and innovation to negotiate their ways in the world. Kelsey speaks directly to young readers in carefully constructed, elegant, accessible language that transcends the ordinary and demonstrates not even the slightest hint of condescension With this approach, she inspires them to observe, learn, listen to advice from knowledgeable, trusted adults, and then leap enthusiastically and let their imaginations soar to find solutions to even the most perplexing problems. Kim's richly hued, exquisite dioramas are textured and detailed, placing realistic, accurate forms into fantastically dreamlike scenes that have depth and movement. This is a work that will be read and examined again and again, with something new to be discovered at every turn. Profound and entirely wonderful. (author's note) (Informational picture book. 5-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
