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Reviewed by: Taylor Coonelly, Elementary School Librarian Title: Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic Author: Margaux Meganck Publisher: Random House Children's
Year: 2024 Good for Grades: PreK-2 Genre/Type of Book: Inspirational Picture Book
Content Warnings, or things that other School Librarians should be aware of: N/A Recommended for a school library: Yes Reason(s) for choosing the book: Loved the cover and intrigued by the subtitle If you were tasked by the publisher with writing a short quote for the back cover of this book, what would it be: Inspires us all to find our own place to stay, grow, and thrive |
Review:
A speck begins its journey through the sea, looking for a place that it can call home. Traveling amongst different ocean atmospheres and creatures, the speck finally finds somewhere to grow and thrive - and each one of us can be compared to that speck and the journey it makes trying to find a place in the world. This book may be short and simple in its text, but packs a powerful punch with both the message and stunning illustrations. The author illustrates the journey of a single cell organism through the ocean, and ends the story by sharing with the reader that that speck is something that can we can empathize with, as we are such a small part of the large world. I thought that this book was stunning and visually intricate, and the lesson important. The only thing that I have to say about this book is that I am not sure about it's appeal with kids based on the cover, and that the message may not reach elementary audiences (which this book is targeted to). Regardless, I think that this book could be a beautiful story time read-aloud, and even worked into the curriculum when talking about living things/animals/habitats. A stunning book about nature that could be perfect for your library collection.
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For more resources about Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic see TeachingBooks.net
For more information about this book, see the Publishers Website