Burn

April 21, 2014
Pattison and Harvill, who collaborated on Wisdom, the Midway Albatross, return with another real-life animal survival story. This one focuses on a puma cub, born in Brazil in 2012, who was orphaned after his mother was captured by a local chicken farmer. Pattison briefly discusses the problems that human development poses for Brazil's pumas before moving on to the cub, named Abayomi ("happy meeting") by his rescuers. The writing alternates between poetic moments ("How does a puma cub survive without his mother? He must hunt") and reportorial passages, including an account of how Abayomi's mother was captured, which bogs down with extraneous detail ("Suddenly, at 2:15 a.m., on November 27, she was caught in the chicken coop trap"). Tense changes distract, and Abayomi's story ends inconclusively, drawing murky parallels between the invisibility of wild pumas to humans and scientists' need to remain out of sight while caring for the cub. Harvill's muted, realistic portraits of Brazilian fauna and flora give a strong sense of the pumas' threatened natural habitat. Endnotes provide addition information and resources. Ages 6â12.

February 1, 2016

Gr 1-4-Adapted from scientist Michael Faraday's own "Chemical History of a Candle," this is the story of one of the Royal Institution's Christmas lectures for children, specifically, Faraday's 1848 talk and demonstration on candles. The lecture series began in 1825 and has continued to present day, with a pause during World War II. The story starts with descriptions of the excitement of the crowd, the sights and sounds of the London streets, and the lecture hall, structured for the crowd's ease of observation and safety. Faraday guides the crowd, describing what is happening and the thought process a scientist uses when making observations. A diagram aids in the discussion of what happens when a candle burns. The main takeaway is that readers should always ask and answer the questions "What is the cause? Why does it occur?" when making observations. The book is whimsically illustrated in various media and incorporates printed text into the artwork. However, the text, which includes challenging vocabulary, British spellings, and, occasionally, odd sentence structures left over from the adaptation of the original lecture, makes the intended audience unclear. VERDICT Despite a few missteps, this is a potential selection for readers who will have the opportunity to perform experiments afterward or those beginning to learn the process of scientific inquiry. Also, a good option for fans of Jacqueline Briggs Martin's Snowflake Bentley (HMH, 1998).-Paige Mellinger, Gwinnett County Public Libraries, Lillburn, GA

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