SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Innovative Octopuses, Half-Brained Birds . . .
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE:
CITY: London, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
LAST VOLUME: SATA 327
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married; children: two daughters.
EDUCATION:Middlesex University, B.A. (first-class honors), 2013; also attended Bucks New University.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer and illustrator. Freelance children’s illustrator, 2013–.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Daniel Duncan is a freelance children’s books illustrator and author who works in a converted stable just outside London, England. Duncan knew he wanted to do something creative and ended up taking an art foundation, or a year of study, at Bucks New University, where he was exposed to many children’s books. He then went on to study illustration at another university. Duncan has illustrated several books for other authors, including Gigi Preibe, Tara Luebbe, Cindy Chambers Johnson, Bridget Heos, Denise Lewis Patrick, Cara Giaimo, and Christina Couch.
In The Adventures of Henry Whiskers, Henry Whiskers is the latest of twenty-five generations who have lived in Queen Mary’s historical dollhouse at Windsor Castle in England. However, because of renovations, the Whiskers must leave, leading Henry and his cousin Jeremy on an adventure as they head off to Rat Alley to save Henry’s sister, Isabel. “Priebe keeps this short chapter book constantly moving, with Duncan’s peppy art a cute capper,” wrote a Kirkus Reviews contributor. Amy Seto Forrester, writing in Booklist, noted” Duncan’s “cartoonish black-and-white spot illustrations show mice in suits and vintage cars.”
Duncan’s debut as an author and illustrator is titled South. The story revolves around a bearded fisherman and a stray bird. The fisherman sails the sea on his small wooden boat. Picking his banjo is his favorite pastime. One day a bird with a broken wing takes refuge on his boat’s deck. The fisherman takes the bird below and nurses it back to health. “Readers, meanwhile, get a front-row view of the man’s past by looking closely at the illustrations,” wrote Robin Smith in Horn Book. The pictures line the walls of his cabin, showing a younger version of himself as well one that indicates the fisherman may have a wife and a son.
The fisherman eventually realizes that it is getting colder at this time of year and so heads his boat south so the bird will be comfortable when it is able to fly again. Meanwhile, he and the bird share music, with the fisherman playing the banjo and the bird chirping along. They also share the fish that the fisherman decides to eat each day. Eventually, the fisherman sees a small island with palm trees off in the distance and leaves the bird there with other birds. Although he is a little sad to lose his companion, the fisherman realizes that he has a home waiting for him also. “The illustrations also give a strong sense of comfort,” wrote Randall Enos in Booklist. Calling South “a wistful read rather than a joyful one,” a Publishers Weekly contributor went on to note the good feelings that “the intimacy between the solitary man and small bird” provides to the reader.
(open new)In Tara Luebbe’s Shark Nate-O, young Nate is obsessed with sharks and knows everything about them. Nate learns how to swim so he can join the school’s Sharks swim team like his older brother. A Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded: “Though the ending is too feel-good, the message that hard work pays off is clear; here’s hoping readers understand its limits as well.”
Cindy Chambers Johnson’s Russell Wrestles the Relatives centers on young Russell and his extended family of professional wrestlers, from both grandparents to each cousin. Insecure of how scrawny he is in comparison, Russell proves that he has wrestler moves as he cleverly evades the squeezing hugs from each of them. A contributor to Publishers Weekly observed that Duncan “effectively uses watercolor-and-ink cartooning to capture Russell in extremis, getting crushed by relatives.”
With Bridget Heos’s Who Wants to Be a Pirate?, Capt. Parrot introduces young readers to the harsh realities of being a pirate. The meals are usually gross, as is the deck of the ship. The book shows what various aspects of pirate life would look like, including its many unsavory elements. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “anemic fare for would-be buccaneers.”
Eliot Schrefer’s Case File: Little Claws centers on Esquire and Mr. Pepper, who jointly run the Animal Rescue Agency. The two are trying to help a young polar bear named Little Claws after he drifts away on an ice floe and is being chased by an animal trafficker. A contributor to Publishers Weekly remarked that “moments of absurdity … amplified by cartoon-inflected illustrations … make for a lighthearted read with environmental conservation at its core.”
In Lavie Tidhar’s The Candy Mafia, the Farnsworth Chocolate Factory was shuttered after the town mayor declared a prohibition on chocolate. Twelve-year-old Nelle Faulkner decides to investigate when one chocolate bootlegger disappears just as another one moves in. Booklist contributor John Peters took note of Duncan’s “sparse but atmospheric line and fill drawings.”
With Maribeth Boelts’s The Purple Puffy Coat, Beetle gives Stick Bug a coat for his birthday. Beetle does not realize that Stick Bug isn’t crazy about it until he decides to paint a picture of him wearing his coat. This gives Beetle an even better idea to fix the problem. A Kirkus Reviews contributor found the book to be “delightfully funny and warm.”
Denise Lewis Patrick chronicles the titular historical individual in the children’s biography, Lewis Latimer: Engineering Wizard. Latimer was born free to formerly enslaved parents and went on to serve as a soldier during the U.S. Civil War. Latimer also aided Alexander Graham Bell in his efforts to patent the telephone and invent the filament for incandescent light bulbs. A Kirkus Reviews contributor reasoned that it is “an engaging overview of Lewis Latimer’s life and work.”
Mara Rockliff’s biography, The Girl Who Could Fix Anything: Beatrice Shilling, World War II Engineer, introduces Beatrice Shilling, who as a young girl loved working with tools. She often took things apart so she could see how they worked and how they fit back together again. The Englishwoman’s skills were not well received by her male colleagues during World War I. By the time World War II started, though, she proved herself to be truly exceptional by fixing a fuel-release problem that plagued British fighter pilots. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “an appealing biography that will inspire young scientists and those who may quietly rebel against the status quo.”
In Cara Giaimo and Christina Couch’s Detector Dogs, Dynamite Dolphins, and More Animals with Super Sensory Powers, a range of animals with amazing skills show off their abilities. A terrier mix named Eba can find southern resident killer whale poop on Washington’s beaches. Dolphins are trained to identify underwater mines through echolocation, while the breathing patterns of bluegill fish can alert humans to contaminants at a water treatment plant. Booklist contributor Angela Leeper pointed out that the book offers “sense-ational STEM that’s sure to surprise.”
With Lori Alexander’s biography, What’s a Germ, Joseph Lister?: The Medical Mystery That Forever Changed the Way We Heal, British surgeon Joseph Lister’s role in identifying germs and improving hospital safety is covered. Lister experimented with germs and antiseptics to improve hospital stay and surgery outcomes. It also outlined with medical care of Queen Victoria. Booklist contributor Kay Weisman commented that “this eminently readable offering fills a void and should fascinate would-be physicians.”
Christina Couch’s Innovative Octopuses, Half-Brained Birds, and More Animals with Magnificent Minds, compares human brains with those of other animals, detailing how they are similar and how they differ. The account also looks into a range of other fascinating connections between humans and animals across history. A Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked that the book is “widely angled and unfailingly intriguing.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 1, 2016, Amy Seto Forrester, review of The Adventures of Henry Whiskers, p. 56; April 15, 2017, Randall Enos, review of South, p. 55; October 15, 2020, John Peters, review of The Candy Mafia, p. 55; September 15, 2022, Angela Leeper, review of Detector Dogs, Dynamite Dolphins, and More Animals with Super Sensory Powers, p. 44; September 1, 2023, Kay Weisman, review of What’s a Germ, Joseph Lister?: The Medical Mystery That Forever Changed the Way We Heal, p. 79.
Horn Book, May 1, 2017, Robin Smith, review of South, p 75.
Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2016, review of The Adventures of Henry Whiskers; February 15, 2018, review of Shark Nate-O; September 15, 2019, review of Who Wants to Be a Pirate?; October 1, 2020, review of The Purple Puffy Coat; December 1, 2020, review of Lewis Latimer: Engineering Wizard; August 1, 2021, review of The Girl Who Could Fix Anything: Beatrice Shilling, World War II Engineer; November 1, 2024, review of Innovative Octopuses, Half-brained Birds, and More Animals with Magnificent Minds.
Publishers Weekly, March 6, 2017, review of South, p. 61; May 7, 2018, review of Russell Wrestles the Relatives, p. 65; November 9, 2020, review of Case File: Little Claws, p. 73.
School Library Journal, October 1, 2016, H. Islam, review of The Adventures of Henry Whiskers, p. 70.
ONLINE
Bright Agency website, https://thebrightagency.com/ (April 25, 2025), author profile.
Bright Group International website, http://brightgroupinternational.com/ (June 22, 2017), “Behind the Book with Daniel Duncan,” author interview.
Daniel Duncan Website, http://dunksillustration.co.uk (January 19, 2018).
Design Juices, http://www.designjuices.co.uk/ (January 19, 2018), author profile.
Dunk’s Illustration Blog, http://daniel-duncan.blogspot.com (January 19, 2018).
MDX Illustration, https://mdxillustration.wordpress.com/ (September 13, 2017), “Graduate Profile: Daniel Duncan.”
Society of Artists Agents Website, http://saahub.com/ (June 26, 2017), “Behind the Book with Daniel Duncan.”*
Daniel Duncan is a children's book illustrator who likes to create vibrant characters within detailed environments, using earth colours and textures.
He studied illustration at Middlesex University and now works from his home in leafy Amersham on the outskirts of London.
Daniel Duncan is an illustrator living in the UK who creates most of his work in an old stable turned studio. His work takes inspiration from cinema, old photos, and sports. Duncan graduated from Middlesex University with First Class Honours, and a bachelor’s degree in illustration. He was highly commended by Macmillan for the 2013 Children’s Book Competition, as well as being shortlisted for the 2014 AOI awards for the Children’s Books New Talent category.
Dan grew up in leafy Chalfont St. Giles playing football outside when it wasn’t raining, and drawing the rest of the time.
In 2013 He graduated from Middlesex University with first class honours degree in illustration, and has worked as a children’s illustrator ever since. Dan now works from his home studio in Amersham, on the outskirts of London where he lives with his wife, two young daughters and Siamese cat Diego.
Dan’s publishing clients include, Abrams, Candlewick Press, Hachette, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House and Simon and Schuster.
Daniel is represented by Nicky Lander — For inquiries, please contact Nicky via email.
Luebbe, Tara SHARK NATE-O Little Bee (Children's Fiction) $17.99 4, 3 ISBN: 978-1-4998-0496-6
A young boy obsessed with sharks becomes one in this tale about hard work and perseverance.
Nate's bedroom is decorated with sharks; he reads books about them, watches TV shows about them, and spouts shark facts. His behavior can also be somewhat sharklike. But as his older brother, Alex, points out, "I'm the only real Shark in this family." From the poster, photo, trophies, and uniform and duffel in Alex's room, it's clear that he's talking about a swim team, and Nate can't swim. But he has a plan to learn, and readers follow along with his swim lessons for a week as he learns the basics. Following Nate's initial forays into the pool, Cattie and Luebbe skip the details and the hard work of Nate "practicing his tail off for weeks" and fast-forward to his first attempt to swim by himself. Of course he's successful, and three full-page illustrations show his growing confidence and ability. And then there's tryouts for the Sharks. Improbably, as the crowd cheers his titular nickname, he blows past Alex and becomes an official Shark. Nate's tale is followed by a double-page spread of shark facts. Duncan's characters are expressive in his scribbly illustrations. Nate and his family present white; the swim team is diverse.
Though the ending is too feel-good, the message that hard work pays off is clear; here's hoping readers understand its limits as well. (Picture book. 4-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Luebbe, Tara: SHARK NATE-O." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Feb. 2018. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A527248026/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bd49baea. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Russell Wrestles the Relatives
Cindy Chambers Johnson, illus. by Daniel Duncan. Aladdin, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-14814-9159-4
Every kid expects a certain amount of "hugging, hand-shaking, and hair-tousling" when relatives come to visit. But for Russell, a family reunion portends something much worse: his aunts, uncles, cousins, and two grandparents are all professional wrestlers, complete with costumes (one relative dresses in a luchador-style outfit) and vivid nicknames, such as "the Texas Tickler" (Grandpa) and "Dorothy the Dropper" (Grandma). Russell feels scrawny in comparison to this beefy clan, and he assumes he'll be "squished like a toothpaste tube." But when he inadvertently extricates himself from the various familial clutches, he proves that he's got moves that mark him as a chip off the old family wrestling block. Duncan (Shark Nate-O) effectively uses watercolor-and-ink cartooning to capture Russell in extremis, getting crushed by relatives; Johnson ties up the story with a heartwarming bow, with Russell realizing how much his WWE-style family loves him and how disarming--literally--a lovingly proffered kiss on the cheek can be. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Minju Chang, Bookstop Literary Agency. Illustrator's agent: James Burns, Bright USA. (June)
Caption: Johnson and Duncan depict a loving family of wrestlers (reviewed on this page).
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 PWxyz, LLC
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"Russell Wrestles the Relatives." Publishers Weekly, vol. 265, no. 19, 7 May 2018, pp. 65+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A538858745/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=fca6ffb8. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Heos, Bridget WHO WANTS TO BE A PIRATE? Henry Holt (Children's Informational) $17.99 11, 26 ISBN: 978-0-8050-9770-2
Avast! There's more to a real pirate's life than plunder and parties.
As in Who Wants To Be A Princess? (2017, illustrated by Migy), Heos contrasts romance with reality--but not in any particularly perceptive, or even accurate, way. Addressing readers whose idea of "pirate" starts and ends with the likes of Capt. Hook or Jack Sparrow, the equally fictional Capt. Parrot (a white human with a diverse crew) does present pirate food as wormy in good times and boiled boots in bad, and gives redolent new meaning to the term "poop deck" thanks to the livestock on board. But aside from drinking punch and having food fights, he barely alludes to actual piratical behavior or history. Duncan is no better, as he shows a cartoon crew firing anachronistic breech-loading cannons and then contradicting the narrative claim that victims are thrown overboard by providing them a boat and supplies. He also depicts a carpenter "surgeon" flourishing but not using a faintly discolored saw, leaves the captured captain being bundled aboard a paddy wagon rather than hanged, and offers a final view of an apparently uninhabited pirate ship sailing along. An afterword on the Golden Age of Piracy, capped by a bibliography, at least points to piracy's less savory side.
Anemic fare for would-be buccaneers. (Picture book. 6-8)
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"Heos, Bridget: WHO WANTS TO BE A PIRATE?" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Sept. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A599964411/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8b3da9e3. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Case File: Little Claws (The Animal Rescue Agency #1)
Eliot Schrefer, illus. by Daniel Duncan.
HarperCollins/Tegen, $16.99 (176p) ISBN 978-0-06-298233-9
In this ecologically minded series opener, Schrefer (The Popper Penguin Rescue) introduces the interspecies odd couple that heads up the Animal Rescue Agency--patrician Esquire, a tweed-wearing, tea-drinking, jazz-listening fox, and fastidious colleague Mr. Pepper, a cantankerous elderly rooster. Working from tips supplied by field operatives, the duo sets out to save Little Claws, a young polar bear set adrift on an ice floe by a villainous fur-wearing animal trafficker who plans to sell the cub to a Florida zoo. Living up to their motto--"To each animal, the right to live its natural life"--the agents thwart the trafficker's efforts, liberating a warehouse full of Arctic animals as part of the high-stakes plot. Though Schrefer plays Mr. Pepper's domestic contributions for laughs, moments of absurdity ("That's not the sound of failure--it's the sound of a walrus!"), amplified by cartooninflected illustrations by Duncan (South), make for a lighthearted read with environmental conservation at its core. Back matter includes a recipe, an afterword with facts about climate change, and a list of further reading. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Richard Pine, Inkwell Management. (Jan.)
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"Case File: Little Claws (The Animal Rescue Agency #1)." Publishers Weekly, vol. 267, no. 45, 9 Nov. 2020, p. 73. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A644651900/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e1012c3c. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
The Candy Mafia. By Lavie Tidhar. Illus. by Daniel Duncan. 2020.300p. Peachtree, $16.99 (9781682631973). Gr. 3-5.
It's been three years since new mayor Thornton, promising to "make this city great again," signed on to Prohibition--not of alcohol but of chocolate and all other sweets--and so shut down the Farnsworth Chocolate Factory, the town's largest employer. Unsurprisingly, several gangs of preteen bootleggers have since arisen to satisfy the heavy demand for illegal candy. So far, so good (or at least historically predictable), but when one gang leader, Eddie de Menthe, suddenly disappears just as a new one, Mary "Sweetcakes" Ratchet, arrives to muscle in, 12-year-old private detective Nelle Faulkner finds herself caught up in a scary whirl of arson, burglary, extortion, smuggling, sugary treats, and official corruption. It all centers on the whereabouts of the factory's reclusive owner, and getting to the bottom of that mystery takes Nelle from seedy playgrounds and midnight rendezvous to sewers on the way to a sweet denouement. Tidhar folds in plenty of noir tropes and contretemps (not to mention a stolen teddy bear for a McGuffin), while in his sparse but atmospheric line and fill drawings, Duncan depicts the young gumshoe properly clad in fedora and trench coat. It won't take a detective to spot Willie Wonka, as well as Sam Spade, hidden in the tongue-in-cheek caper's literary DNA.--John Peters
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Peters, John. "The Candy Mafia." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 4, 15 Oct. 2020, pp. 55+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A639876271/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=8b482701. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Boelts, Maribeth THE PURPLE PUFFY COAT Candlewick (Children's None) $16.99 11, 10 ISBN: 978-1-5362-0497-1
Two very different friends learn to appreciate their differences.
Beetle can’t wait for Stick Bug’s birthday next week. Beetle is so excited about the present he got his friend—it is “SO amazing, and you need it SO much”—he decides to give it to him early. It is a big, puffy coat in Beetle’s favorite color. Beetle urges Stick Bug to wear the coat immediately. Stick Bug reluctantly complies. When they walk around the neighborhood, Stick Bug attracts lots of attention. Beetle is sure the pointing and staring is admiration; Stick Bug is not so sure. When Beetle starts to make a new gift for Stick Bug to give him on his actual birthday, he decides to paint a portrait of Stick Bug in his beautiful new coat. But when thinking of how Stick Bug’s face looks when he's wearing his new coat, Beetle realizes that Stick Bug doesn’t love the coat at all. Panicked, he figures out the perfect remedy. Boelts’ energetic text and Duncan’s comical, delicate illustrations, showing a thoroughly embarrassed Stick Bug and a delighted Beetle, combine to make this picture book a silly treat that will have readers giggling and pointing while learning valuable social-emotional lessons about personalities and relationships.
Delightfully funny and warm. (Picture book. 3-8)
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"Boelts, Maribeth: THE PURPLE PUFFY COAT." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Oct. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A636726932/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d0294627. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Patrick, Denise Lewis LEWIS LATIMER Harper/HarperCollins (Children's None) $15.99 1, 5 ISBN: 978-0-06-297807-3
Lewis Latimer, born free to formerly enslaved parents, served as a soldier in the Civil War and taught himself the skills to become a draftsman, polyglot, inventor, author, and poet.
Though he left school at the age of 10 to help his father support their family, Latimer became an important figure in Alexander Graham Bell’s attempt to secure a patent for the telephone and the invention of the filament in incandescent light bulbs that made them safer to use. Later, he worked in Thomas Edison’s company, and after retiring, he turned to civil rights work. Though brief, this biography is both engaging and well researched. Patrick draws on Latimer’s private papers as well as secondary sources, crafting a narrative that entwines his professional accomplishments with personal milestones. She punctuates it with historical notes, introductions to other inventors both African American and White, and general information that helps to contextualize the subject matter, such as an explanation of patents and another of the Industrial Revolution. Duncan’s black-and-white illustrations make it approachable for young readers transitioning to nonfiction chapter books, and they make it clear that Latimer achieved what he did in spaces dominated by White men. The backmatter includes a list of Latimer’s patents, a timeline, brief introductions to four contemporary African American inventors, and a bibliography. Series companion Dr. Mae Jemison: Brave Rocketeer, by Heather Alexander and illustrated by Jennifer Bricking, publishes simultaneously; together they launch the VIP biography series.
An engaging overview of Lewis Latimer’s life and work. (Biography. 8-12)
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"Patrick, Denise Lewis: LEWIS LATIMER." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2020. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A643410567/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e4601246. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Rockliff, Mara THE GIRL WHO COULD FIX ANYTHING Candlewick (Children's None) $17.99 9, 28 ISBN: 978-1-5362-1252-5
“Beatrice Shilling wasn’t quite like other children. She preferred tools to sweets.”
From an early fascination with toys, radios, and motorcycles, Beatrice Shilling was entranced by the idea of how things worked, taking apart and reassembling the machines around her. Repeating text tied with comical illustrations allows readers to witness how the young White Englishwoman was atypical for her post–World War I period—few women shared her skills and interests, and most men were not ready to accept her—while mentions of her mistakes show her resilience and how she learned and grew. Supported by a female engineer, she found her calling early and was encouraged to attend university to sharpen her skills, all the while succeeding at motorcycle racing as well as falling in love and marrying. But it was during her time at the Royal Aircraft Establishment during WWII that she truly shone, finding a solution to a fuel-release problem that allowed fighting pilots to maneuver safely. This accessible, tongue-in-cheek depiction of Shilling’s life and achievements hits all the right notes and shows a woman flourishing in STEM, the importance of powering through adversity, ways in which science and curiosity can be applied, as well as how women have supported each other to learn and succeed. Duncan’s fine-lined illustrations include characters of color among the largely White cast of background characters.
An appealing biography that will inspire young scientists and those who may quietly rebel against the status quo. (author’s note, sources) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)
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"Rockliff, Mara: THE GIRL WHO COULD FIX ANYTHING." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A669986387/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=956e1a47. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Detector Dogs, Dynamite Dolphins, and More Animals with Super Sensory Powers. By Cara Giaimo and Christina Couch. Illus. by Daniel Duncan. Sept. 2022. 176p. Candlewick/MIT Kids, $24.99 (9781536219128). Gr. 4-7.355.424.
What's a better opening than following Eba, a terrier mix who's been trained to sniff out southern resident killer whale poop along Washington's coastal waterways? As the authors describe how Eba is part of a conservation program to study endangered species, they also describe a dog's special design and the organs that allow it to smell exponentially better than humans. From dolphins that use echolocation to detect underwater mines to bluegill fish whose breathing helps monitor for contaminants at a water treatment center to ICARUS, a project that monitors animals worldwide from space in an effort to detect natural disasters, more fascinating chapters explain how animals perceive their environment and how their developed senses make the planet safer for all of natural life. Throughout these animal profiles, the authors also point out ethical concerns, like whether animals should be working for humans. Overall, the subject remains upbeat with photos of the featured animals in the field and colorful diagrams. Readers can even test their own senses with related activities. Sense-ational STEM that's sure to surprise. --Angela Leeper
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 American Library Association
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Leeper, Angela. "Detector Dogs, Dynamite Dolphins, and More Animals with Super Sensory Powers." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 2, 15 Sept. 2022, pp. 44+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A720255813/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=63caf128. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
What's a Germ, Joseph Lister? The Medical Mystery That Forever Changed the Way We Heal. By Lori Alexander. Illus. by Daniel Duncan. Oct. 2023. 144p. Clarion, $19.99 (9780358538172). Gr. 3-6. 610.9.
Alexander introduces readers to Joseph Lister, a UK surgeon and physician who dedicated his career to preventing hospital deaths and alerting colleagues to the dangers of germs. She details Lister's early interest in nature, his medical training, and his efforts to improve patient survival in hospitals, which led to experiments, the discovery of germs, and the use of clean tools and antiseptics to prevent infections. Of note are the chapters describing Lister's successful surgery on Queen Victoria and his consultation on King Edward VTI's appendectomy. Interspersed throughout are sections on the history of surgery, the efforts of Louis Pasteur, and the work of Robert Koch. Nearly every spread contains at least one full-color illustration, rendered in a humorous cartoon style. Greens and blood reds predominate, and some scenes (particularly historical surgeries) are rather lurid. Frequent sidebars describe related topics (public dissections; women in science), adding depth to the presentation. Including generous back matter (historic photographs, time line, glossary, source notes, and recommended reading), this eminently readable offering fills a void and should fascinate would-be physicians.--Kay Weisman
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Weisman, Kay. "What's a Germ, Joseph Lister? The Medical Mystery That Forever Changed the Way We Heal." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 1, Sept. 2023, p. 79. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A766069808/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=899a5196. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
Duncan, Daniel INNOVATIVE OCTOPUSES, HALF-BRAINED BIRDS, AND MORE ANIMALS WITH MAGNIFICENT MINDS MIT Kids Press/Candlewick (Children's None) $17.99 1, 14 ISBN: 9781536229721
Insights into how our brains resemble, and are different from, those of other animals.
With this lively overview of the animal kingdom's "most extraordinary organ," Couch delivers lucid descriptions of how humans and other creatures perceive the world, interact with their bodies, sleep, learn, remember, and communicate. Punctuating her narrative with comments from a large and racially diverse group of brain scientists and other workers, she visits research sites ranging from an outdoor squirrel lab to a trauma center where people with PTSD form mutually beneficial relationships with abused birds. She explores natural mysteries, such as an apparently immortal jellyfish and another species that sleeps even though it has no brain. The author expands her focus with profiles of a DNA researcher studying the remains of victims of the slave trade on St. Helena and an entomologist whose passion for roller derby has helped her become a better scientist, among others. As if all this isn't stimulating enough, Couch also provides instructions for keeping a dream journal, testing short-term memory, and tackling other brain-related projects for hands-on readers before closing with a substantial bibliography, source notes, and further reading. Duncan includes anatomical cutaways, charts, and cartoon spot art featuring a diverse cast of young enquirers into the already generous mix of animal photos and portraits.
Widely angled and unfailingly intriguing. (index)(Nonfiction. 10-13)
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"Duncan, Daniel: INNOVATIVE OCTOPUSES, HALF-BRAINED BIRDS, AND MORE ANIMALS WITH MAGNIFICENT MINDS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Nov. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A813883674/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5197fb0d. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.