2008 SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books — “Children’s Science Picture Book” category. The prize is sponsored by Subaru and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (SB&F = Science Books and Films). Here is their review:
The title and subtitle of this book, replete with an ellipsis pause, had me expecting an exposé of deception in the natural world. I wasn’t disappointed. “Camouflage,” from a French word meaning “to disguise,” seems to have entered common usage from military vocabulary in the early 20th century, but even then, military applications alluded to the many animals in nature that were able to avoid detection by blending into their surroundings. The authors ask readers to look carefully at a series of 11 full-page color photographs and find in them the animals, or their eggs in one instance, camouflaged from would-be predators or prey. Ten of the photographs have poems on a facing page offering rhyming hints as to where to look and what to look for. Read the poems out loud for their full descriptive effect, but cleverly, some of the poems also have the printed lines arranged as visual hints: “Motionless” is printed in four “double-jointed” lines representing the four pairs of the motionless spider’s legs, and the lines of “Serpentine” undulate across the page. At the bottom of each picture is the notation “lift to find me.” Each folio unfolds to vividly reveal the previously camouflaged creature against a faded-out background. Each animal revealed has an accompanying page of life history information, with additional lore on its use of color and behavior in avoiding predation or in assisting in capturing prey. However, suggestions for further reading are lacking. Although the authors present camouflage “experts,” from coyotes and deer fawns to green snakes, tree frogs, and salamanders, the masters of deception are the insects, here represented by ladybug beetles and moths, the latter often camouflaged in developmental stages and in the adult. In spite of the many nature documentaries on public and cable television and the seemingly endless proliferation of nature and animal sites on the Web, these authors and their photographer have put together interactive hard copy that should captivate today’s youngsters. The only problem with the book is that it ends abruptly. I turned the last page expecting more!
The John Burroughs Riverby Award 2007
– for Outstanding Nature Books for Young Readers.
Download complete list here
BooklistOnline.com – Editor’s Choice 2007
Carolyn Phelan writes: Best known for picture books such as How Much Is a Million? (1985) and Millions to Measure (2003), Schwartz teams up with Schy to create a science book about animal camouflage. Each double-page spread begins with a poem on the left-hand page about an unidentified, camouflaged animal. Facing it is a gatefold page with a photo of one or more animals camouflaged in their habitat and often difficult to discern in the picture. Readers opening out that page will find the same scene, mysteriously changed: the animal’s surroundings have faded to create a pale, misty background, and the creature now stands out clearly. A few paragraphs of text comment on the animal and how it can hide so well in plain view. The well-crafted, short poems, varying in form from rhymed couplets to haiku to concrete verse, offer clues to the hidden animals’ identities. Beautifully photographed and designed with great attention to detail, this book will intrigue and challenge children, whether they find it individually or in a classroom setting.
2007 Finalist, Cybils Award
Fiona of Books and Rocks says: “A refreshing selection of ten camouflaged animals beautifully photographed and presented as a “find-the-critter” challenge. Snappy titles and delicious poems cleverly hint at the animals’ identities (form and meter match each animal!), and fold-out pages reveal the animals and cool information about them, clearly written in a kid-friendly style.”
2008 Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 National Science Teachers Association and the Children’s Book Council
“Lasting Connections of 2007” roundup of the year’s best books to tie into curriculum Book Links (pub. by American Library Association)
“Schwartz manages to impart a good deal of basic information about linear, weight and volume measurements, all while entertaining the reader… The froth of fun that lightens this book’s educational intent may help American children absorb their centimeters and kilometers with ease.“
–Booklist, starred review
“In his systematic and logical style, Schwartz presents an enormous amount of information in an impressively clear and concise manner. Although Schwartz’s intention is to make a point about the relative simplicity of the metric system, he does not neglect American standards, and thereby keeps the work relevant — it can serve as an introduction to measuring, and can also function as a reference guide. . . The Schwartz-Kellogg team has got it right again: this should be part of every professional’s collection.” [ages 5-12]
–Kirkus Reviews, starred review