Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2-4. This large-format book begins with a brief introduction to animal migration before relating six tales of migration. These are not individual journeys, but narratives relating the migratory habits of six species: the desert locust, the blue whale, the American silver eel, the monarch butterfly, the caribou, and the Arctic tern. Each highly illustrated chapter follows a species through a round-trip cycle of its travels, describing how and why the trip is made as well as life along the journey. Well matched with Rylant's measured prose, Davis' paintings offer clearly delineated, well-composed views of the animals in different stages of growth and habitats. Throughout the book, Rylant conveys a strong sense of the difficulties faced by the animals and an appreciation of migration as one of the wonderful mysteries on this earth. With large print and many clear illustrations, this book would be equally effective for independent reading or sharing with a school class. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Rylant (The Stars Will Still Rise) again shows her versatility with this picturesque work exploring the migratory habits of a half dozen creatures. Each one--locust, gray whale, American silver eel, monarch butterfly, caribou and Arctic tern--gets a chapter detailing its round trip and the reasons for the journey. Rylant's fluid prose--which defines baleen (what serves as teeth for whales) just as smoothly as it describes the reason for a monarch's milkweed diet--incorporates many interesting facts (e.g., "Locusts fly very high--as high as two miles up in the sky--and this can make difficult flying for planes"). With exclamation points ("And the noise of all those hooves! It is both frightening and thrilling," Rylant says of the caribou) and italicized words ("Sometimes there are millions of butterflies flying together"), the narrative draws readers in with a tone of wonderment and respect for what the author calls these "remarkable travelers." She describes the hardships along their migratory routes, and their physical attributes come to light in Davis's (Swimming with Dolphins) carefully detailed paintings. Using multiple perspectives, his vivid images depict each animal in its habitat (e.g., readers see a sky-darkening swarm of locusts over the African landscape, as well as a close-up of the insect's segmented body, amber eyes and spotted wings). Though some may wish for maps to see just how far the subjects' travels take them, this title may well prompt youngsters to further study of these fascinating migrations. Ages 7-10. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-Rylant's clear descriptions are matched with expansive, semi-realistic paintings of different animals and the terrain through which they travel. Locusts, monarch butterflies, gray whales, American silver eels, caribou, and Arctic terns are presented as "...miracles in motion." Rylant mentions the incomplete understanding of science about how animals navigate the extreme distances and habitat shifts in their complex journeys. There are no maps depicting routes or location. Often, they are stated in broad terms: the gray whales go from the Arctic Circle down the west coast to Mexico, and the monarchs go from the northern United States and Canada down to California or Mexico on the one coast or Florida on the other with no specific southern locations. The Sargasso Sea, where the eels begin life, the tundra of the caribou, or the unspecified African regions invaded by the locusts may be dim realities for some readers. No acknowledgment of scientific sources is offered. Most of the animal portraits are reasonable approximations (the enlarged, hard-edge locusts have a mechanical feel), and the realistic stories will be enjoyed by those who favor books about real animals. They will also serve well as read-aloud introductions to classroom units on migration.-Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston (c) Copyright 2010. 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
This book succeeds at inducing wonder at and appreciation for migration, treating the phenomenon in locusts, whales, eels, butterflies, caribou, and terns. But the exclamatory narrative tends toward anthropomorphism (""No mother wants to have a baby in icy water!""), and words like incredible, unbelievable, and miraculously appear throughout. Brightly colored illustrations, whose scale shifts effectively, hold the reader's attention. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
In something of a departure for a writer known better for her poetry and fiction, Rylant presents readers with a lovely sequence of musings on migration. Locusts, American silver eels and caribou join monarch butterflies, Arctic terns and gray whales--"so different from each other but so alike in one profound way: Each must move." Her sense of wonder never far from the fore, the author describes each animal and its astonishing journey, the text characteristically poetic yet eminently readable for those recent graduates from Henry and Mudge: "[T]hese grasshoppers will begin changing. . . . And when they rise up to fly together by the billions, they will be grasshoppers no more. They will be locusts." Davis's highly saturated paintings emphasize the majestic, and if they're a touch too ponderous to be a perfect complement to the light lyricism of the text, they are nevertheless undeniably beautiful. In its breadth, it's a terrific introduction to the whole concept of migration. As such, however, it's a pity that there are no references to any further reading for children who want to find out more. (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-10) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
