Nonfiction Picture Books: Concrete; Luminous; The Animal Toolkit; The Universe in You; Digestion: The Musical

Outstanding picture books from 2022 feature the story of a ubiquitous building material, unusual animals, basic particle physics, and a different take on the topic of digestion.

Concrete: From the Ground Up by Larissa Thoule, illustrated by Steve Light. Candlewick, 2022, 34 pages

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8, Recommended for ages 4-12

Let’s get right down to it: “Concrete is a composite building material” and it’s provided the literal foundation for the modern era. But concrete (distinct from cement) goes as far back as 9600 B. C., forming the floor of a prehistoric temple in Turkey. The Romans put it on the map, so to speak, from aqueducts to the Pantheon. But with the fall of Rome, the technology was lost until the dawn off the industrial age in Europe. And now it’s everywhere! Lively illustrations and clever dialogue highlight steady development as well as historical milestones, as unique as the Eddington Lighthouse and historic as the Berlin Wall. Young engineers will find the content and the presentation fascinating.

Overall rating: 4.5

Luminous: The Living Things that Light up the Night by Julia Kuo. Greystone (Canada), 2022, 36 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8; Recommended for ages 3-10

“What if your body could make its own light?” Then you would be bioluminescent, producing a glow through chemical reaction. Beginning with an example we already know (fireflies), the author/illustrator takes a girl and her mother on a fanciful walk through forest, cave, and deepest ocean, where an amazing array of bioluminescent creatures live. The two-tiered reading text make the picture book easy to read aloud to a 3-year-old, while older kids will learn much by reading the smaller-print explanations. Illustrations are all on a black or dark blue background, accenting the glow. It would be super-cool if the glowing creatures could be coated with zinc sulfide (learned that from the book) so they would literally shine in the dark, but bioluminescence is cool enough as is. No mention of evolution.

Overall rating: 4.5

The Universe in You; A Microscopic Journey by Jason Chin. Neal Porter (Holiday House), 2022, 40 pages.

Reading Level: Picture book, ages 4-8, Recommended for ages 5-12

Jason Chin’s Your Place in the Universe took us from our own earth into the very, very big. Now we go in the opposite direction: to the very, very small. Beginning with things we can see, such as the smallest bird, butterfly and bee, and narrative moves quickly to objects that can only be seen under a microscope, then to objects we can only measure and objects that can neither be seen nor measured but nonetheless exist. Molecules, atoms, electrons, and particles are the stuff of stars and humans. The main text ends where it began: a human being discovering and understanding the world around her, as only humans can do. The appendix is a basic primer on particle physics, building up from quarks to living cells. All is fearfully and wonderfully made!

Overall Rating: 4.5

The Animal Toolkit: How Animals Use Tools by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. Clarion, 2022, 32 pages.

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8; Recommended for ages 4-10

What is a “tool”? This book defines it as “an object that an animal manipulates and uses to affect its environment, another animal, or itself.” And some animals are surprisingly adept, either by instinct or by watching and learning. A palm cockatoo can drum up a mate by beating a stick on a tree limb. The corolla spider weaves a silk trap anchored to a circle of quartz stones to catch its dinner. Black kites spread forest fires with burning branches to flush out prey. Animal abilities show another facet of their Creator equipping them for survival (no mention of evolution). The playful text and colorful, richly textured illustrations–in the signature style of the late Steve Jenkins–will engage a broad range of readers. Comparisons with a human hand or figure show the relative size of each animal, and additional facts in the appendix round out this compendium.

Overall Rating: 5

Digestion: The Musical by Adam Rex, illustrated by Laura Park. Chronicle, 2022, 76 pages

Reading Level: Picture Book, ages 4-8; Recommended for ages 5-10

Poor little candy is longing for her big chance: to be somebody inside a body. But the body doesn’t want to let her in. “You’re junk! Empty calories!” Still, by dint of persistence she’ll work her way in to “Digestion: The Musical, starring Your Body and featuring Li’l Candy, Gum, and the Baby Carrot Singers.” Reaching the stomach, Candy meets Gum, who fills her in on digestive juices. After a song-and-dance whirl through the bloodstream and a tour of the kidneys, the gut awaits, after which . . . “Let’s get this potty started!” After that, it may get a bit too scatological for some parents, but (some) kids will love it. I’m not sure what to make of it myself. Gaudy neon illustrations could be arresting or just confusing, but it may be worth a library trip.

Overall Rating: 3.5

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Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Nonfiction picture books galore! Try the key phrase “nonfiction picture books” in our search box, or search by subject.
• Reviews: We’ve reviewed plenty of books by Jason Chin and Steve Jenkins (who specialized in animals). Typing each name in the search box will yield a bounty.
• Resource: Up your library game by knowing the Five Categories of Nonfiction.

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