Review by Booklist Review
Cece is a smart and curious girl who loves to get to the bottom of all her complex questions. So it's fortuitous when Cece's teacher tells the class to pair up for a new assignment: Pick a science you are curious about, and come up with a question to investigate. Cece and her friend Isaac choose zoology and pose the vital question of whether or not Cece's dog, Einstein, likes vegetables. In an impressively nondidactic way, readers are guided through the process of scientific observation, exploration, experimentation, and discovery, as they first discover Einstein will not eat veggies, and then discover that he will eat them if blended into a smoothie. Harrison's expressive digital illustrations have a lot of energy, color, and motion, and several incorporate filled-out worksheets with Cece and Isaac's findings as they progress. Meanwhile, a helpful scientific glossary closes the book. A fun way to introduce scientific methods.--Camargo, Rosie Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Budding scientist Cece is always asking questions such as "Why?" "How?" and "What if?" Excited by her teacher's assignment to find and investigate a question, she pairs up with a partner, Isaac, to brainstorm ideas, come up with a question, make observations, test possibilities (variables), interpret their data, and make a conclusion. Their question is "Do dogs eat vegetables?" and her dog Einstein is their subject. They try out different vegetables, but Einstein turns up his nose at them all. Harrison's animation-style digital illustrations-a mix of vignettes, full pages and spreads-show a long-haired, brown-skinned girl, her mixed-race family, her lighter-skinned friend, and an adorable terrier. Several of the pages show the questions and their answers on "Ms. Curie's Science Project Worksheet." Cece's disappointment at the uninteresting results of her project is contrasted, on a facing page, with a portrait of a brainstorm, possibly suggested by her banana dessert. Einstein does eat vegetables in smoothies. The story includes images of an inviting science classroom and mentions a variety of sciences and a range of scientists diverse in race and gender. VERDICT Words and pictures combine to make smooth blend of entertainment and education that may be useful in early elementary classrooms. An appealing concoction.-Kathleen -Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD © Copyright 2018. 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
Teacher Ms. Curie encourages Cece's love of science. When her class gets a research assignment, Cece and friend Isaac choose to investigate whether dogs will eat vegetables. Cece's dog Einstein refuses all veggies until Cece makes a keen observation that leads to an answer. In this kid-friendly introduction to the scientific method, data collection, and persistence, cartoony digital illustrations include the kids' science-project worksheets. Glos. (c) Copyright 2019. 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
Cece loves asking "why" and "what if." Her parents encourage her, as does her science teacher, Ms. Curie (a wink to adult readers). When Cece and her best friend, Isaac, pair up for a science project, they choose zoology, brainstorming questions they might research. They decide to investigate whether dogs eat vegetables, using Cece's schnauzer, Einstein, and the next day they head to Cece's lab (inside her treehouse). Wearing white lab coats, the two observe their subject and then offer him different kinds of vegetables, alone and with toppings. Cece is discouraged when Einstein won't eat them. She complains to her parents, "Maybe I'm not a real scientist after all.Our project was boring." Just then, Einstein sniffs Cece's dessert, leading her to try a new way to get Einstein to eat vegetables. Cece learns that "real scientists have fun finding answers too." Harrison's clean, bright illustrations add expression and personality to the story. Science report inserts are reminiscent of The Magic Schoolbus books, with less detail. Biracial Cece is a brown, freckled girl with curly hair; her father is white, and her mother has brown skin and long, black hair; Isaac and Ms. Curie both have pale skin and dark hair. While the book doesn't pack a particularly strong emotional or educational punch, this endearing protagonist earns a place on the children's STEM shelf.A good introduction to observation, data, and trying again. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
