(2) K-3 Illustrated by Lou Baker-Smith. Winter arrives in the Arctic. The days are shorter, the weather colder. A polar bear searches for a place to make a den, hibernate, and birth her twins. The trek across the ice is more difficult than in years before; ice floes are breaking up, and food has been scarce. Once on land, she finds a south-facing spot and settles down for the winter. The twins are born, she feeds them, and in the spring she and the cubs head toward the sea, where they can hunt for food. But conditions have changed: the ice is disappearing, creating fewer opportunities for them to hunt. Baker-Smith's soft mixed-media illustrations depict the bears' journey and are particularly effective in showing the degradation of the ice floes. Detailed back matter offers the main reason: climate change. In clear language, Jenkins describes the causes of Earth's warming and the effects not just for polar bears but for all life as climate change leads to an increase of extreme weather conditions. He concludes with suggestions individuals can follow to "make a difference when it comes to climate change." This brief glimpse into the experience of one polar bear ends, as it must, on a sober note of uncertainty about the future of the species.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2025

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jenni Desmond. Jenkins (Bird Builds a Nest, rev. 1/18; Beware of the Crocodile, rev. 3/19) again offers readers solid science in an entertaining package. The cover illustration of an Atlantic Puffin, beak overflowing with sand eels and standing somewhat pigeon-toed, creates a slightly comical but altogether appealing sight, encouraging youngsters to open the book to see what this bird is all about. Readers will find an engaging, accessible narrative describing a puffin's life cycle, initially revealing, through text and sweeping full-bleed illustrations, that flocks of puffins populate a favored breeding site in the spring. Spot art complements short sentences relating subsequent action: former mates find each other, birds reclaim their burrows and repair their nests, and eventually males and females take turns sitting on a solitary egg and foraging for food. When the egg hatches, parents continue to swap tasks. One night, about six weeks after birth, the chick (or puffling) exits the burrow and flies away to make a life of its own. Puffins are at their most colorful in the spring, and Desmond's lively mixed-media art accentuates this quality by often displaying the black-and-white birds with their deep orange, blue, and yellow beaks against a bright blue sky (or ocean), creating a cheerful setting for their annual ritual. Further information appears on several pages in sentences set apart from the main text and in a concluding author's note. An index and suggested websites are appended.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. In sly, understated text, Jenkins discusses crocodiles' teeth, predatory behavior, the care females give their hatchlings, etc. Related details appear in smaller type on many pages, while an appended note adds information about habitats and classification. Kitamura's mixed-media illustrations include a bit of whimsy in extratextual features, such as a nattily dressed crocodile scanning a restaurant menu of favored prey in the back matter. Websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) PS First Science Storybook series. Illustrated by Richard Smythe. Linking a study of light and dark to a narrative of an urban fox hunting at night, Jenkins employs spare prose to chronicle the creature's search for food. In the process, the fox encounters many light sources (the moon, street light, car lights), and back matter encourages youngsters to note these. The mixed-media illustrations create a shadowy, solitary nocturnal journey.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(1) PS First Science Storybook series. Illustrated by Richard Jones. Jenkins deftly weaves natural and physical science into this tale concerning birds' life cycles; inside that narrative he unobtrusively introduces the concept of force with examples of pulling and pushing, heavy and light, and gravity. In their stylized beauty, Jones's striking, collage-like mixed-media illustrations depict the most basic elements of the natural world and highlight the text's focus on science. Ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(2) PS First Science Storybook series. Illustrated by Richard Jones. A pair of personality-filled squirrels and other residents of their pond-side community interact through four distinct seasons. Perfectly crafted sentences--simple, yet packed with clues to the underlying science--emphasize patterns and the relationships among seasons, weather, and nature. Mixed-media illustrations echo the scientific sophistication of the text, using a muted palette that still captures each season's distinct landscapes, trees, and animal behaviors. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Stephen Biesty. This informative guide to the history of space exploration is organized into sections on ancient astronomy, spacecraft and means of propulsion, etc. Jenkins's commentary is clear and conversational yet sophisticated. Biesty's intricate illustrations are a marvel; copiously labeled, they evoke the precision and detail of engineering schematics, but with clever design decisions in layout, detail, and color that make each image friendly and inviting. Timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(2) PS Illustrated by Tim Hopgood. In this survey of frog species, the main text--"This frog is huge (for a frog)"--is supplemented by additional facts in smaller type ("It's a goliath frog, and it lives in western Africa") that invite readers to learn more. Hopgood's colorful, creative mixed-media illustrations are technically precise in representing each species' main features yet artistic in the rendering of textures and anatomical details. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2016

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Satoshi Kitamura. Sixteen brief chapters present an overview of money--the whys and hows of its development, different items that have been employed as currency--from ancient times to today. Although the ideas are challenging, each follows naturally from the one before. Jenkins succeeds in presenting challenging ideas; Kitamura's tidy watercolors (spot art and panel illustrations) add humor and help illustrate the concepts. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Dorcas Hand | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2014

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Vicky White. This volume provides a gracefully organized overview of how some of our endangered fellow creatures are doing. Jenkins's narrative voice is engagingly informal and lucid. White's pencil and oil paint illustrations fill the large pages; the pictures are mostly in sober black and white with occasional blushes of color. A stunningly beautiful book as well as an eloquent appeal and consciousness raiser. Websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2011

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Richard Holland. In this history of time-keeping, Jenkins covers topics including circadian rhythms, terrestrial and astronomic patterns that helped our ancestors develop calendars, and the various historical calendars themselves. Modern atomic clocks and a discussion of relativity round out the discussion. Holland's quirky mixed-media collage illustrations reflecting the various historical contexts serve as backdrops for the information. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Brian Sanders. This book tells the story of the ill-fated Titanic, from its conception, construction, and preparations for the maiden voyage through its final disaster. A series of vignettes and drawings depict the last moments of the tragedy and are helpful to those interested in details. Archival photographs, drawings, sidebars, and inserts extend and clarify the straightforward text.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Vicky White. Simple text in large type and pencil and oil pictures on expansive white pages introduce the five species of great apes--including humans. Spreads provide basic information about diet, behavior, and social structure. Footnotes in a smaller cursive type offer more detail. Close-up portraits of the apes, intimate but not sentimentalized, and concise, respectful text will draw youngsters in. Websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2008

(4) K-3 Illustrated by Ivan Bates. Jenkins makes good use of the parallels between elephant society and human relationships to help readers understand elephant behavior. The friendly text invites children to imagine themselves a part of the elephant community. While the text stops just short of anthropomorphizing elephant relationships, the animals' expressions in the illustrations are too human. This is sure to have appeal, but it stretches the science thin. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2003

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Jane Chapman. Jenkins's amusing, conversational prose describes the harsh conditions Emperor penguin fathers endure to ensure their young hatch safely. Also discussed are their survival techniques and behavioral adaptations, as well as the mother's role. Chapman's gorgeous acrylic paintings achieve surprisingly pleasing variety. Captions provide further factual information. Ind.

Reviewer: Emma Loy-Santelli

(4) 4-6 Informania series. This jokey but generally informative compendium of vampire lore has a cardboard binding on the exterior, but is spiral bound inside. Tab dividers separate chapters containing a comic-strip version of Dracula, a historical overview of blood-drinking myths, and a report on bloodthirsty animals. With humorous messages from the "Vampire Investigation Bureau" and lots of color photographs, drawings, and information boxes, the book is fun to read if somewhat superficial. Ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(3) K-3 This lively picture book provides basic information: how chameleons differ from other lizards; why they change color; and how they move, see, and hunt. Vivid, detailed watercolors imbue their subject with abundant personality, and the narrator's enthusiasm for the creatures is infectious. Ind.

Reviewer: The Horn Book, Inc.