Chilly is a penguin inventor in the vein of Leonardo da Vinci, experimenting with a variety of mechanical machines. One of his experiments goes awry, stranding him and some friends on an iceberg, with an orca circling and nibbling away at the berg. Will Chilly be able to save himself and his friends with his inventions in time?
The play on da Vinci’s name isn’t only cute, but also quite appropriate, seeing as da Vinci dreamed of flying and Chilly, a flightless baby penguin, does the same. His observations of the success and failures of his varying projects are short, journal-like notes, transposed over adorable full page illustrations. The end leaves are also clever, highlighting many of the quirks of da Vinci’s own notebooks, such as backward handwriting samples and sketches of penguin-versions of some famous paintings and doodles.
The story as a whole wasn’t incredibly captivating for me, as it really didn’t feel to cohesive due to the note nature of the text. However, the illustrations are incredibly fun and there is a positive message about focusing on solving problems by observing the world around you and taking note of what things have worked in the past. It would be a fun addition to a science unit focused on mechanics and flight!
Chilly is pretty much the definition of adorkable, and I would love to see Chilly go on more adventures in the future!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
Chilly da Vinci will be available December 4, 2018 from NorthSouth Books.
Author & Illustrator: Jarrett Rutland Goodreads|Barnes & Noble
Goodreads Rating: 3.5 stars, rounded down to 3.
NetGalley Rating: 5 stars.
Incredibly thought-provoking and captivating all the way throughout. Minteer provides a baseline introduction to the ethical and moral dilemmas of the world of conservation, and does so in a relatively non-technical way, making it accessible for all readers.
Covering topics ranging from the role of zoos & wildlife parks in conservation and scientific collection of specimens to more controversial assisted colonization and de-extinction, Minteer introduces the topic and a brief history of it and covers the modern debates surrounding the topic, some of which are surprising where many scientists and conservations stand.
The most infuriating topic, with a head-desk worthy ideology, for me was the ethical justification behind collecting specimens for scientific research and record. Killing at least one or two members of a species of any type of creature and preserving it for further scientific study and research has been a common method for centuries. But given the modern concern with conserving species and being more aware of the possibility that a newly discovered species may already be endangered, it would make sense that kill-collecting specimens would occur less frequently, especially given many technological advances in monitoring that have been introduced in the past few decades.
I was surprised to learn that kill-collecting is still very common, highly defended in many circles, and is encouraged to an extreme. Many scientists believe it’s actually better to collect more specimens of a rare, likely rare, or rediscovered species, justifying that they’re preserving the few remaining individuals for historical record. If they didn’t do this, they argue, then it would be difficult to study the species in the future and would also provide an opportunity for the public to see the species, as the specimens could be shown in multiple museums.
The ethical debate about zoos and wildlife parks didn’t add too much to the equation, I didn’t think, although it did focus substantially on discussing Zootopia (the expansion to Denmark’s Givskud Zoo, not the movie). Intended to be an immersive experience for visitors and minimally invasive for the animals, it’s an interesting idea, but raises questions about where the “wild” ends and a manufactured habitat begins.
Assisted colonization and de-extinction receive ample chapters discussing not only the ethical dilemmas, but also providing historical perspective of the issues, which added even more depth to the arguments being made.
Minteer does inject not only his view, but some of the research he himself has done and written about for these various topics. He isn’t completely removed from the narrative, but he is relatively transparent when he includes his own research and conclusions.
While the subject matter might be a relatively niche interest, if you’re at all interested in conservation and the ethics surrounding it, I’d highly recommend this book! It raises some truly fascinating questions.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
The Fall of the Wild: Extinction, De-Extinction, and the Ethics of Conservation will be available December 4, 2018 from Columbia University Press. Author: Ben A. Minteer Goodreads|Barnes & Noble
Absolutely as adorable and inspiring as expected. Although I am not usually a person to search out positive affirmations like the ones here, I just cannot resist the adorableness of the drawings–especially the penguin! Each page has a doodle with an adorable animal or human friend wishing you positivity, encouragement, or a word of advice. They provide your daily dose of cuteness *and* inspiration, and it’s the best. I’m not sure how many of these have already been published online and how many are new to the book, but if you love these little comics, or know a friend who would, it’s the perfect addition to your bookshelf.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy to review!
Loading Penguin Hugs: Heartwarming Comics from Chibird will be available November 13, 2018 from Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Author & Illustrator: Jacqueline Chen Goodreads|Amazon
Nostalgia Reader 