TOOHOT? TOO COLD? Keeping Body Temperature Just Right
KIRKUS
A fascinating and thorough look at how both animals and humans regulate their body temperatures.
Beginning with the difference between warmblooded and coldblooded species (the terms endothermic and ectothermic are introduced but not used), Arnold devotes spreads to such topics as muscle movements, sweating, the shrinking and expanding of blood vessels in the skin, fat, body coverings, and the size and shape of an animal. Behavior can also affect body temperature: animals or humans can seek/avoid the sun or a breeze, cool off or warm up with water, find shelter, or hibernate/estivate/migrate. The one misstep is a minor quibble—a sentence incorrectly states that “No animal can live if its body temperature falls below freezing.” The copyright page lists the illustrations as having been done in watercolor and Photoshop, but readers would be hard-pressed to see any evidence of digital artwork here. The spreads and spot illustrations have that blurry, batik quality of watercolors that lends itself so well to nature scenes, while the insets are well-delineated, allowing readers to understand the structures discussed in the text. Every animal is labeled, making this a great jumping-off point for further research into readers’ favorites. A glossary and author’s note round out the text.
A stellar addition to a rather empty shelf. (Nonfiction. 6-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 1st, 2013
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online:
Dec. 26th, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15th, 2013
On a Florida beach one night, a baby
turtle begins her life as an egg, buried in the sand. Thanks to her own
instincts and the help of multiple young hands, she successfully
hatches, makes it to the water, grows up, and comes back to lay her own
eggs, twenty years later. The refrain, “Turtle, Turtle, watch out!”
warns readers when the turtle is about to encounter danger, and
highlights the actions young human hands can take to help turtles
survive. Gorgeous illustrations of evening and underwater scenes make
the turtle’s life look magical, and appendices list all seven sea turtle
species and worldwide efforts to help prevent their extinction. Actions
can be as simple as cleaning trash off beaches and out of the water, or
shutting off house lights near the beach so young turtles won’t crawl
away from the water and toward the houses. For ages four to ten. Teresa Scollon
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