Praise for Everything Awesome About Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures:
"In the wake of Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts! (2019), Lowery spins out likewise frothy arrays of facts and observations about sharks, whales, giant squid, and smaller but no less extreme (or at least extremely interesting) sea life... An immersive dunk into a vast subject-and on course for shorter attention spans." — Kirkus Reviews
Praise for Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts:
* "Lowery sandwiches a populous parade of very simply drawn dinos between a history of prehistory and a roundup of diverse topics, from what paleontologists do to sets of dinosaur jokes and A Few Kinda Weird (and Unlikely!) Dino Extinction Theories... though true dinosaurs hold the spotlight, flying and marine reptiles, early mammals, and other fabulous early fauna take such frequent star turns that along with infobites galore, readers will come away with a fairly sound understanding of just how dinosaurs fit into the whole history of life on this planet... A manic but solid series kickoff." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Praise for Mac Undercover, illustrated by Mike Lowery:
* "Barnett and Lowery bring the funny to the serious art of espionage in a perfect interplay of text and illustration... Barnett interweaves tidbits of global history fit for trivia lovers, while Lowery's comic-style images play a key role in the humor... Told with a sense of nostalgia for 1980s history and pop culture, the silliness and originality of this book will hook young readers." — School Library Journal, starred review
"An enjoyable romp that will leave readers salivating for the sequel." — Kirkus Reviews
"[Barnett's] riotous series debut as an adult recalling a 1980s childhood caper... goofy, two-color pictures by Lowery (the Doodle Adventure series) ramp up the silliness of this adventure... which should snare even the most hesitant readers." — Publishers Weekly
10/01/2020
Gr 2–6—Lowery's latest book focuses on sharks, bodies of water, and other underwater creatures. Jam-packed with information, the text provides maps, diagrams, fun facts, and silly jokes. Lowery's illustrations are a feast for the eyes and logically guide readers. How-to-draw tutorials are included and are generally easy to follow. The table of contents is abundant. The text doesn't feature an index, but there is a recommended reading list. There is some misinformation about the Titanic; the text states: "This ocean [Arctic] is where the Titanic hit a big iceberg." According to the National Museum of American History, the ship did not hit an iceberg in the Arctic Ocean, but rather it struck a North Atlantic iceberg and sank. Although the title suggests that the text will prominently discuss sharks, less than half of the book does so. However, it is unlikely that these discrepancies will deter young readers from devouring this title. VERDICT A solid purchase for the oceanic and/or shark sections of any public or school library or home collection.—Kristin Unruh, Siersma Elem. Sch., Warren, MI
2020-06-30
In the wake of Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts! (2019), Lowery spins out likewise frothy arrays of facts and observations about sharks, whales, giant squid, and smaller but no less extreme (or at least extremely interesting) sea life.
He provides plenty of value-added features, from overviews of oceanic zones and environments to jokes, drawing instructions, and portrait galleries suitable for copying or review. While not one to pass up any opportunity to, for instance, characterize ambergris as “whale vomit perfume” or the clownfish’s protective coating as “snot armor,” he also systematically introduces members of each of the eight orders of sharks, devotes most of a page to the shark’s electroreceptive ampullae of Lorenzini, and even sheds light on the unobvious differences between jellyfish and the Portuguese man-of-war or the reason why the blue octopus is said to have “arms” rather than “tentacles.” He also argues persuasively that sharks have gotten a bad rap (claiming that more people are killed each year by…vending machines) and closes with pleas to be concerned about plastic waste, to get involved in conservation efforts, and (cannily) to get out and explore our planet because (quoting Jacques-Yves Cousteau) “People protect what they love.” Human figures, some with brown skin, pop up occasionally to comment in the saturated color illustrations. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 45% of actual size.)
An immersive dunk into a vast subject—and on course for shorter attention spans. (bibliography, list of organizations) (Nonfiction. 7-10)
