Horn Book (Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2021)

Did you know the natural world is a construction zone? Whether they are large or small, in the ocean or on land, animals are amazing architects!

Kirkus Reviews

A look at the unique ways that 11 globe-spanning animal species construct their homes.Each creature garners two double-page spreads, which Cherrix enlivens with compelling and at-times jaw-dropping facts. The trapdoor spider constructs a hidden burrow door from spider silk. Sticky threads, fanning from the entrance, vibrate "like a silent doorbell" when walked upon by unwitting insect prey. Prairie dogs expertly dig communal burrows with designated chambers for "sleeping, eating, and pooping." The largest recorded "town" occupied "25,000 miles and housed as many as 400 million prairie dogs!" Female ants are "industrious insects" who can remove more than a ton of dirt from their colony in a year. Cathedral termites use dirt and saliva to construct solar-cooled towers 30 feet high. Sasaki's lively pictures borrow stylistically from the animal compendiums of mid-20th-century children's lit; endpapers and display type elegantly suggest the blues of cyanotypes and architectural blueprints. Jarringly, the lead spread cheerfully extols the prowess of the corals of the Great Barrier Reef, "the world's largest living structure," while ignoring its accelerating, human-abetted destruction. Calamitously, the honeybee hive is incorrectly depicted as a paper-wasps' nest, and the text falsely states that chewed beeswax "hardens into glue to shape the hive." (This book was reviewed digitally.)An arguable error of omission and definite errors of commission sink this otherwise attractive effort. (selected sources) (Informational picture book. 5-8)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Inviting readers to view the natural world as a -construction zone,- Cherrix (In the Shadow of the Moon) looks at animals, insects, and invertebrates that build unusual dwelling places. Ants, bees, and termites construct ingenious hives in these pages; an alert-looking harvest mouse uses grass to weave a nest suspended between reeds; a bowerbird festoons its bower to attract a mate. Each highlighted species receives two spreads with text that provides plenty of chewy factoids (a beaver -can gnaw through a tall tree in just three minutes!-). Levels of detail vary, however: text about the Great Barrier Reef mentions that -tiny larvae have been building- it, but not how, while pages on the trapdoor spider detail its hunting mechanism: when an insect steps on strands that -fan out from the burrow... the burrow vibrates like a silent doorbell.- Similarly, layered art by Sasaki (Sakamoto-s Swim Club) focuses on visual impact and natural beauty, sometimes over architectural process (a finished beaver dam is pictured in stylized forms that may be difficult for young readers to scan, while an ant colony and prairie dog town provide more granular detail). A bibliography points to resources with more information. Ages 3-8. Author-s agent: Ammi-Joan Paquette, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator-s agent: Kirsten Hall, Catbird Productions. (Sept.)-

School Library Journal (Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 CST 2021)

PreS-Gr 1 We live in a construction zone! That's what Cherrix tells readers in this look at the structures built by 11 different animals. Tiny larvae build the Great Barrier Reef; trapdoor spiders build insect traps to collect meals; male satin bowerbirds build elaborate sculptures out of twigs, called bowers, to attract a mate; ants dig complex tunnels; penguins build nests out of pebbles. All around us, animals are busy building homes, nests, tunnels, mounds, and more. Sasaki's lush, digital artwork is resplendent, with swift-moving strokes that produce lively movement on the page. Cherrix's prose is peppered with facts that describe what readers are seeing, while also evoking awe of the complex, often beautiful, structures, and just how talented these architects of the animal world are. Children will enjoy meeting new animals and learning their behaviors. Back matter includes further reading to keep young naturalists intrigued. VERDICT An appealing choice for story times. Jessica Schriver, Rutgers Univ., Camden, NJ