SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: First Big Book of How
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://kateslaterillustration.com
CITY: England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
LAST VOLUME: SATA 267
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Staffordshire, England.
EDUCATION:Kingston University, degree (illustration), 2008.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Illustrator, writer, and designer. Freelance illustrator for publishing houses, including Andersen Press, Harper Collins Kids, Macmillan Children’s Books, Passion Pictures, Random House Children’s Books, Simon & Schuster, and Walker Books, and for other U.K. clients including BBC, Guardian, National Trust, Natural History Museum, Royal Collection Trust, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and Yorkshire Sculpture Park; designs gift and homeware for sale online and at independent shops; presenter at schools. Exhibitions: Work included in exhibitions, including Conningsby Gallery, London, England, 2008, Owl & Lion Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, 2009, London College of Communications, 2009-10, Bankside Gallery, London, 2011, and AIM for Art Gallery, Milton Keynes, England, 2011. Solo exhibitions include The Jam Factory, Oxford, England, 2012, and The Farne Islands National Trust, 2013.
AVOCATIONS:Ambling (with dog), running, gospel choir singing, yoga.
MEMBER:Association of Illustrators.
WRITINGS
Contributor of illustrations to children’s volumes, including The Tortoise and the Hare and Other Stories, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2013; The King and His Wish and Other Tales, Oxford University Press (Oxford, England), 2018; and The Bedtime Book of Animals, by Zeshan Akhter, DK Publishing (New York, NY), 2024.
SIDELIGHTS
British artist Kate Slater [open new]has contributed friendly and appealing illustrations to picture books ranging from classic-style folktales to the “Animal Alphabet Library” series to the First Big Book of How, as well as her self-illustrated Magpie’s Treasure. As a youth, her favorite pastimes including writing and drawing stories, constructing treehouses, and, as she relates in her Holly & Co profile, “trying to tame wild animals.” Her favorite book was Where’s Julius?, by John Burningham, about a young boy’s imaginative adventures. She had a mind to become a creator of children’s books by the age of seven, when a teacher’s mention of a nine-year-old girl being the youngest published author inspired her to try to break the record. Although the next two years passed without a book deal, she studied illustration at Kingston University and published her first title at the age of twenty-four. Beyond her self-illustrated debut, she has focused on illustrating for other authors in addition to working freelance for major publishers, media outlets, and royal organizations. She also designs sustainably produced homeware and gifts, including cards, prints, wrapping paper, and tea towels, for sale through her online Holly & Co shop and at select outlets.
Favoring mixed-media collage, Slater often [suspend new] works in a distinctive cut-paper collage style, creating three-dimensional scenarios hung from wires and then photographing them for use as illustrations and art products. After sketching and coloring a rough dummy of her illustration, Slater creates scenic elements from paper and suspends them on wires. After photographing these “sets,” she retouches the digital image to remove the wires. Slater uses this technique in crafting illustrations for books by other authors as well as in her own self-authored work, Magpie’s Treasure . As she noted on her home page, “being an illustrator and author is probably the best job in all the world, so [I am] very, very lucky.”
In Magpie’s Treasure Magnus Magpie is attracted to shiny objects; while he steals quite a few, the one he covets most is the moon. After flying up into moon space, the bird finds only dust and rocks. Returning home disappointed, Magnus finds an even-better treasure, however: a new family. “The energetic text is well paced for read-alouds,” wrote Hazel Rochman in reviewing Magpie’s Treasure for Booklist, the critic predicting that “kids will enjoy picking out the objects in Slater’s vibrant, mixed-media collage illustrations.” A Kirkus Reviews critic wrote that “bright colors explode” in the books eye-catching artwork, and “the message is presented with a deft touch in this colorful and appealing tale.” The illustrations are “dazzling in a way to lure any magpie,” Peter Andrews asserted in School Librarian, the critic concluding that “Slater’s debut as writer/illustrator is to be welcomed.”
Slater has illustrated several stories by other authors, providing cover and interior art for two novels by Dia Calhoun and new illustrations for Mary Finch’s version of the classic story Little Red Hen. In showing the dedicated baker’s efforts to grow wheat and make bread, despite getting no help from friends Rooster and Mouse, Slater’s illustrations “have a three-dimensional effect and invite inspection,” as a Kirkus Reviews writer commented. “Indeed, youngsters will need to pore over them to catch the subtle changes in the characters’ expressions,” the critic added, while a Publishers Weekly critic deemed Little Red Hen “innovative” and full of “visual humor.”
[resume new]Sara Levine wrote A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use, which shows how birds use their beaks much as humans use tools. Readers are invited to guess which bird’s beak matches a given tool—a straw, a strainer, pliers—which is shown overlying a silhouette of the bird. Similar birds are labeled and identified in notes, with a Kirkus Reviews writer appreciating how “the circles of light surrounding the silhouettes are repeated in the circles around the notes, a pleasing bit of design.”
First Big Book of How, by Sally Symes and Saranne Taylor, is a compendium of explanations of fascinating scientific phenomena such as how memory functions, how space telescopes and touchscreens work, and how the dinosaurs went extinct. The topics are grouped into six categories: the body, animals, bugs, the earth, space, and man-made things. ForeWord reviewer Jeff Fleischer praised Slater’s “engaging visual style,” as “in many cases, the graphics are just as informative and fun as the text.” Observing that the “fascinating photos and interesting illustrations take center stage in this fun, fact-filled book,” a Kirkus Reviews writer proclaimed that Slater’s “charming” artwork helps make for a “visually impressive informational treat.”[close new]
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 1, 2011, Hazel Rochman, review of Magpie’s Treasure, p. 67.
ForeWord, October 14, 2024, Jeff Fleischer, review of First Big Book of How.
Horn Book, May-June, 2021, Sarah Rettger, review of The Last Bear, p. 134.
Kirkus Reviews, September 1, 2011, review of Magpie’s Treasure, September 15, 2013, review of Little Red Hen; September 1, 2021, review of A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use; October 15, 2024, review of First Big Book of How.
Library Media Connection, January-February, 2013, Ann M.G. Gray, review of Eva of the Farm, p. 67.
Publishers Weekly, August 26, 2013, review of Little Red Hen, p. 71.
School Librarian, spring, 2011, Peter Andrews, review of Magpie’s Treasure, p. 30.
School Library Journal, August, 2012, Rita Soltan, review of Eva of the Farm, p. 100.
ONLINE
Holly & Co, https://holly.co/ (April 21, 2025), “Kate Slater Illustration.”
Kate Slater blog, http://kateslaterillustration.blogspot.com (January 15, 2014).
Kate Slater website, https://www.kateslaterillustration.com (April 21, 2025).
Lerner Books website, https://lernerbooks.com/ (September 1, 2021), “A Peek at Beaks: An Interview with Author Sara Levine and Illustrator Kate Slater”; (April 21, 2025), author interview.
I’m an illustrator, mostly working in mixed media collage. My favourite things to draw are currently swans, beavers and lions, but I’ve illustrated everything from romantic woodlice to Ada Lovelace and since buying my first home last year, have been covering the walls with birds and trees.
My children’s books include the Britannica First Big Book of Why (What on Earth Books and Britannica), A Peek at Beaks (Millbrook Press), The Last Bear (Harper Collins Kids), A is for Ant, D is for Dog, E is for Elephant, G is for Giraffe, R is for Rabbit and V is for Vulture (DK), Make Your Own Birds of Prey and Make your Own Flying Machines (Arcturus Publishing), The Birthday Crown (Royal Collection Trust), The Little Red Hen (Barefoot Books), ABC London (Frances Lincoln) and Magpie’s Treasure (Andersen Press).
Alongside work for publishing, editorial and advertising, I’ve also created several large scale installations and window displays, the most exciting of which was exhibited in a chapel on the National Trust's Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland (and even led to me appearing on Blue Peter!). You can see the enormous Farnes Flock, made up of 400 life-sized birds, here.
I also design gift and homeware with a commitment to being ethical and sustainanble, available from my own online shop and in independent shops across the UK. If you’re interested in stocking my products, please see my wholesale page. You can read more about my commitment to environmentally friendly production here.
I studied illustration at Kingston University (2005-2008). I grew up on a beautiful farm in deepest Staffordshire and, after living in London for a few years, I returned to my green, muddy roots and now work from my studio at home in Lichfield, in a room piled high with paper, watched over by Gladys (Labrador, lunatic, hound of dreams).
Apart from illustrating, I’m usually found ambling across fields with Gladys, running, reading, singing in Lichfield Gospel Choir and practicing yoga.
In 2019, as part of London Marathon fundraising for Refuge, I organised a big collaborative artwork between lots of amazing female artists for International Women’s Day. You can read more about the Refuge Tree here.
SELECTED Clients
Andersen Press, Arcturus Books, Barefoot Books, Britannica, DK, Frances Lincoln Publishers, Harper Collins Kids, Macmillan Children's Books, Millbrook Press (Lerner Books), Oxford University Press, Passion Pictures, Random House Children's Books, Refuge, Simon and Schuster, The BBC, The Guardian, The National Trust, The Natural History Museum, The Royal Collection Trust, The RSPB, Walker Books, What On Earth Books, Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Kate Slater
Kate Slater is an artist and illustrator working in mixed media collage. Alongside work for publishing, editorial and advertising clients, Kate designs her own range of gift and homeware and has also created several large scale installations and window displays. Kate studied illustration at Kingston University (2005-2008). She grew up on a beautiful farm in deepest Staffordshire and, after living in London for a few years, returned to her green and muddy roots and now works from her studio at home in Staffordshire, in a room piled high with paper, watched over by her Labrador, Gladys.
Book Me
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Interview
What was your favorite book when you were a child?
Where’s Julius? by John Burningham
What’s your favorite line from a book?
“Are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?”― Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Who are your top three favorite authors or illustrators?
Jane Austen, Mary Oliver, and John Burningham
Why did you want to become an author or illustrator?
I’ve wanted to write and illustrate children’s books since I was seven, when my teacher told me that a nine year old girl was the youngest published author. I decided then that I had two years to get a book deal and break the record! It took much longer than that, I was 24 when my first picture book was published, but that’s definitely the moment when I first believed it was possible.
Do you have any advice for future authors or illustrators?
Believe in yourself and keep drawing/writing/doing what you love!
A Peek at Beaks: An Interview with Author Sara Levine and Illustrator Kate Slater
Have you ever seen a bird with a beak like a straw? How about a bird with a beak that looks like a pair of tweezers? Get ready to see these birds and many more in A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use by Sara Levine and illustrated by Kate Slater. Structured as a guessing game, this playful picture book introduces young readers to the science and anatomy of different bird species. Discover how birds’ beaks resemble—and can be used like—tools!
Today author Sara Levine and illustrator Kate Slater join us to share their most surprising moments while creating the book, their hopes for young readers, and much more.
What is the most surprising thing you discovered while writing/illustrating the book?
SL: I knew that many birds had beaks that were adapted for many purposes—ones that work like a straw or a knife or a jackhammer. What surprised me was to find one that works like an air conditioner! Who knew?! Want to know which bird has a beak like that? You’ll have to read the book to find out.
KS: I loved learning more about the different birds Sara writes about. I had no idea that sandpipers have a special sensory organ on their beak to help them find food in the sand! I really enjoyed developing my collage style to create this as well, using mixed media to add more details while keeping the guessing pages a bit more graphic.
What do you hope readers will learn or discover from reading your book?
SL: I’m hoping that readers will come away from the book with a more in-depth understanding of how form fits function in animals’ body shape. That, of course, is part of understanding natural selection and evolution—a topic I think needs to be taught more actively to young people. And I’m also hoping that readers will just find pleasure in the book—in the guessing and in Kate Slater’s gorgeous illustrations.
KS: I hope they love learning about the different birds as much as I did and I hope I’ve managed to capture some of the beautiful species from around the world.
Spread from A Peek at Beaks in which a hummingbird is revealed.
How did you do your research for this project?
SL: One of my former students, Hilary Johansen Silve invited me to observe a class she taught Boston Nature Center in which she did a lesson on how birds’ beaks compared to different household tools. I thought it was a great idea, and she said there was a need for a book on this topic, so I wrote it. My research was focused on learning more about birds used in some existing lesson plans, and finding other interesting and whimsical examples to include.
How do you create your illustrations?
KS: I use lots of different papers to collage with; some that I paint myself but also paper from magazines, old envelopes – anything I can get my hands on! I sometimes draw extra details on top of the collage with paint and pencil, or I scan the collage in a work into it digitally.
Where do you like to work?
SL: I used to bike to a café in Arlington, MA each morning and reward myself with a coffee and chocolate croissant while I wrote. This is where this book was mostly written. Since it has become less safe to work in a café I do most of my writing in my dining room, at a small messy, book-covered table that serves as my desk.
KS: I work from home in my studio in Staffordshire. It’s a lovely, sunny studio but is often quite chaotic – especially when I’m in the middle of working on a book. My desk is usually covered in the different pieces of paper I’m using to make my collages. I do have a bit of a colour-coded storage system, but it soon goes awry!
I live in the countryside and love being able to go take my labrador Gladys for long walks when I need a break from work.
What’s your favorite subject to write/illustrate?
SL: That’s a hard one to answer. Plants and animals? Or maybe comparative anatomy? I’m particularly interested in thinking about how humans are alike and different from other animals. I like to write about biology topics that fascinate me in a way that may spark the same reaction in others.
KS: I love anything with animals in! Birds feature in my work a lot. I’ve always loved drawing them and the feathers make them particularly beautiful to collage! I also really enjoy the challenge of creating something that’s quite accurate and lifelike but at the same time giving each bird loads of character.
Spread from A Peek at Beaks which reveals a pelican.
Praise for A Peek at Beaks
★”[A]n entertaining and informative introduction to the world of birds and how they survive and thrive.”—starred, School Library Journal
“[A] guessing game that will engage young readers. . .A useful addition to the nature shelf.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Levine’s descriptions, roughly a paragraph per bird, are filled with delightful facts and enough details so that an elementary child can understand the explanation behind biodiversity within the bird world. . .a fun introduction to elementary school biology.” — Butler’s Pantry
“This is a fun book which will encourage children to become more aware of their natural environment by identifying birds and learning something about their adaptations.” — The Pirate Tree
Connect with Sara
Website
Connect with Kate
Website
Do you love hearing from authors and illustrators? Find more interviews on the Lerner blog here!
Kate Slater Illustration
Lichfield, staffordshire
Hello, I'm Kate Slater, an illustrator working in mixed media collage. When I'm not designing cards, wrapping paper, prints, tea towels and bird decorations, I illustrate children's books.
All my designs begin as collages made from old magazines, envelopes, shopping lists - anything I can get my hands on! I'm dedicated to creating everything sustainably; all my wrapping paper and cards are printed on 100% recycled paper and I use organic cotton for my tea towels. Everything is made in the UK.
My favourite things to collage are always birds, but I’ve illustrated everything from ants to woolly mammoths, and, since buying my first home, I've slowly been covering the walls with swans and trees!
Proudly independent
A few favourite PIECEs
Green Woodpecker Decorative Hanging Bird Art
Puffin Decorative Hanging Bird Art
Kate Slater Illustration
£50.00
Personalised Birthday Bunny Greetings Card
Birthday Bunny Greetings Card
Kate Slater Illustration
£3.50
Personalised
Swinging Orangutans Wrapping Paper
Swinging Orangutans Wrapping Paper
Kate Slater Illustration
£14.00
'Rise Up' Swan Illustration Print
'Rise Up' Swan Illustration Print
Kate Slater Illustration
£60.00
The story behind the business
Meet Kate Slater Illustration
I've wanted to be an illustrator since I was seven, when my year three teacher told me the girl who wrote the Munch Bunch was only nine (the actual facts are slightly different, but that doesn't matter to our story...) and I decided I had a year or so left to become the youngest published author in the world. I already spent half my time writing and drawing stories (the other half constructing precarious tree houses and trying to tame wild animals like someone in an Enid Blyton) but I think this was the moment I thought of being an illustrator as a job.
It wasn't til about seventeen years later, in 2010, that my first book was published, but I've been lucky enough to work as an illustrator ever since.
Designing cards, and later wrapping paper, prints, tea towels and bird decorations, is now a huge part of how I juggle being a freelancer. I love being able to create and sell something all myself - from that first inkling to draw an idea through to sending the final product off in the post! What a beautiful way to share what I make.
I work from a cosy little shed at the bottom of my tiny garden, surrounded by paper, with my labrador Gladys to keep me company.
Kate Slater
Illustrator
Kate Slater grew up on a beautiful farm in deepest Staffordshire, UK, and studied illustration at Kingston University. She works predominantly in mixed media collage and sometimes in ink too, creating most of her work by hand rather than digitally. Her favourite things to draw are currently birds, orangutans and lions, but she's illustrated everything from romantic woodlice to Ada Lovelace! She especially loves creating wildlife illustrations for children that are realistic and yet full of fun and character.
Her children’s books include the Britannica First Big Book of Why, A Peek at Beaks (Millbrook Press, 2021), A is for Ant and other books in the DK animal alphabet series and The Last Bear (HarperCollins Kids, US). She has also created several large-scale installations and window displays, including a flock of 400 life-size birds for the National Trust’s Farne Islands.
When she isn't illustrating, Kate is usually found ambling across the fields with Gladys (or chasing after her), running, reading, singing in a choir and practicing yoga.
Slater, Kate FIRST BIG BOOK OF HOW What on Earth Books (Children's None) $25.00 10, 15 ISBN: 9781804661192
Fascinating photos and interesting illustrations take center stage in this fun, fact-filled book.
A colorful, appealingly organized, and straightforward table of contents describes the six high-interest subjects the book covers--the body, machines and buildings, wild animals, bugs, Earth, and space--immediately signaling to readers that they can enjoy the information within in myriad ways. Longer segments that answer questions like "How do touchscreens work?" and "How do we know what extinct creatures looked like?" allow learners to gain a more in-depth understanding of a range of subjects. Many pages include a text bubble that presents a "wacky fact," a fascinating tidbit designed to engage and impress--for example, that scientists once found a suit of armor in a shark's stomach--which is a clever way to help readers retain information. For those with shorter attention spans, "Tell me how NOW!" spreads provide quick answers to burning questions, such as "How many times do people pass gas in a day?" The informal language and kid-friendly phrasing make the facts feel like thrilling wisdom passed between friends on the playground, and the numerous references to poop will delight many readers. Stunning photographs interspersed among the charming illustrations and clear scientific diagrams add greatly to the overall appeal. The photos and artwork portray a racially diverse array of people.
A well-researched, visually impressive informational treat. (glossary, index, source notes, picture credits)(Nonfiction. 5-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Slater, Kate: FIRST BIG BOOK OF HOW." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2024. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A811898568/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=178730ac. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
Sally Symes and Kate Slater (illustrator); FIRST BIG BOOK OF HOW; What on Earth! (Children's: Juvenile Nonfiction) 25.00 ISBN: 9781804661192
Byline: Jeff Fleischer
Sally Symes's colorful, child-friendly reference text First Big Book of How compiles dozens of scientific questions on topics ranging from human memory to space telescopes and dinosaur extinction.
The questions are siphoned into six categories: the body; machines and buildings; wild animals; bugs; Earth; and space. They include inquiries into how insects sleep (they "go into a kind of trance their body slows down and they stay as still as itsy-bitsy statues"), how dishwashers work (like robots, by "following the instructions in its computer program"), and objects look bigger through magnifying glasses (because of "light bouncing off the object [passing] through the convex lens"), and about what some subjects are, as with a close-up image of a chameleon's eye and another of the unusual, colorful bigfin reef squid with its tentacles of extraordinary length. Each section also includes two spreads with quick, one-sentence answers to trivia-evocative questions, like "How much do fingernails grow in one year? / About 1.5 inches!" and "How strong is a spider's web? / For its size, web silk is five times stronger than steel!"
Each question and answer takes up a spread, with a one-paragraph explanation, a photograph or graphic illustrating key points, and, sometimes, "wacky fact" sidebars that note details such as that "a booger can be green, brown, or even pink" or list the strange items found in sharks' stomachs. In many cases, the graphics are just as informative and fun as the text. The explanation of how a polar bear keeps warm features a closeup drawing of the layers of its skin, while that about how babies grow has images of fetuses at different stages of development.
Rewarding childhood curiosity, the reference text First Big Book of How makes scientific inquiry fun, explaining diverse topics with an engaging visual style.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Foreword Magazine, Inc.
http://www.forewordmagazine.com
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Fleischer, Jeff. "First Big Book of How; How Do Polar Bears Keep Warm? How Do Keys Open Locks? How Do Spacesuits Work? The Ultimate Book of Answers for Kids Who Need to Know How!" ForeWord, 14 Oct. 2024, p. NA(NA). Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A812990894/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ef80263e. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
Levine, Sara A PEEK AT BEAKS Millbrook/Lerner (Children's None) $19.99 9, 7 ISBN: 978-1-5415-8734-2
Bird beaks work like human tools.
With a guessing game that will engage young readers, this simple but effective title demonstrates how the distinctive beaks of different bird species reflect the ways they use them. Each right-hand page asks readers to guess the kind of bird whose bill is shaped like a particular tool: a straw, a strainer, needlenose pliers, and so forth. The bird is shown in silhouette with the tool where its beak would be. A page turn reveals the answer. Hummingbirds have beaks that are long and hollow like straws, allowing them to poke deep into narrow blossoms for nectar. Slater's collage illustrations show recognizable examples, along with other birds with similar beaks, both labeled and named in an added, asterisked note. The circles of light surrounding the silhouettes are repeated in the circles around the notes, a pleasing bit of design. Finally, the author suggests some other uses for beaks besides eating, concluding with gannets, who show affection by clapping their beaks together. She suggests that readers do the same with their hands to show their affection for birds. The illustrator thoughtfully depicts a Black girl bird-watcher and younger White boy doing just that, by the light of a circular moon. The backmatter extends the exploration of beak differences to introduce the idea of evolutionary change over time.
A useful addition to the nature shelf. (further reading) (Informational picture book. 5-9)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Levine, Sara: A PEEK AT BEAKS." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Sept. 2021. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A673649730/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=1613f34b. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
The Last Bear
by Hannah Gold; illus. by Kate Slater
Intermediate Harper/HarperCollins 288 pp. g
2/21 978-0-06-304107-3 $16.99
e-book ed. 978-0-06-304108-0 $8.99
April's widowed father is a scientist who has taken a temporary job at Bear Island's weather station, above the Arctic Circle. Her initial hope that moving to a remote location would lead her dad to pay more attention to her quickly disappears when she realizes that, just as at home, he will be working all the time. April wants to meet a polar bear on the island, although she knows it's unlikely, since melting sea ice has kept bears away from the island for some time. Nevertheless, she spends weeks on the lookout for bears--and she does find one, trapped and injured by garbage from the ocean. She feels an immediate connection to the creature, eventually getting close enough to cut off the debris and treat its wound. As her relationship with her father becomes more strained, she grows closer to the bear. After she figures out how it became trapped on the island (the bear doesn't speak, but April is able to understand it on an emotional level), she decides to take it home to Svalbard, more than two hundred miles of open ocean away. Gold has an ear for descriptive language ("April could feel the power of it, the way sound travels invisibly through the air and shifts the membrane of the universe somehow"), and the close narration of April's story keeps readers intimately engaged. The book's environmental message is clear without being overpowering, and the combination of internal and external conflicts allows the story to be quiet and dramatic at the same time. SARAH RETTGER
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Sources, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.hbook.com/magazine/default.asp
Source Citation
Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
Rettger, Sarah. "The Last Bear." The Horn Book Magazine, vol. 97, no. 3, May-June 2021, p. 134. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A669313552/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c1cc45ac. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.