The Hole Truth and Nothing But...

 

This Book Is Full of Holes: From Underground to Outer Space and Everywhere In Between 

by Nora Nickum; illus. by Robert Meganck 

40 pages; ages 6-9

Peachtree, 2024

theme: emptiness, science, art

What is a hole? A hollow place. An empty space. A part of something where there’s nothing at all.

But wait, says author, Nora Nickum. There is something to these holes – and so many places to find holes. From indentations in your waffles to nesting cavities in trees, there are holes all around us. Think about holes in the ground, or in a wiffle ball. Holes in a sprinkler or holes in the ozone layer. Sock holes, worm holes, animal burrows, Swiss cheese … this book is filled with holes!

What I like about this book: It’s fun! Nora provides great examples of holes we can find in our everyday life, from man-made stuff to nature. For each example she provides a layer of explanatory text. The back matter is just as fun. There’s an entire section called “English is full of holes,” where Nora focused on idioms and phrases we commonly use: loophole; down the rabbit hole… And there’s a section about black holes which are not holes at all.

I reached out to Nora with a few questions…

Me: How did you come to the idea of writing about holes?

Nora: The first holes I found myself wondering about were the teeny tiny holes in airplane windows and big, beautiful blue holes in the ocean. As I wrote, it turned into a book about all different kinds of holes, and what makes a hole a hole. Then I went down a lot of rabbit holes doing research about all different kinds of holes, and picking my favorites to include in the book.

Me: Are donut holes really holes?

Nora: It depends. Some donuts do have holes, of course. Bakers probably first made a hole in donuts because the gooey dough in the middle wouldn't fully cook in the frier. Dough would be punched out of the center when the donut was made. But larger bakeries now have machines that shape donuts to be rings so there's nothing left over. The term "donut hole" these days is often used for a spherical mini donut which is not a hole--and which, fortunately, is much tastier than a hole would be. 

Me: Are you telling the hole truth here?

Nora: Well, this is a nonfiction book, so yes, the hole truth and nothing but the truth. There are no holes in my research, and you can't poke any holes in my arguments. Putting fictional things in this nonfiction picture book would be like trying to put a square peg in a round hole, so none of that. Just pure, not-silly-in-the-least nonfiction. Okay, maybe I found some room for some silliness.

Hole-some Beyond the Books activities:

Go on a hole-finding expedition through your house. You might find some clothes with holes, pots, a guitar, faucets, and more… How many holes can you find?

Look for holes in nature around you. Check for holes in trees, logs, in the ground, in leaves and flower petals. 

Make a pinhole eclipse-viewer. All you need are two index cards (or ½ sheets of cardstock) and a pushpin or very sharp pencil. Instructions in this very short video.

Nora is a member of #STEAMTeam2024. You can find out more about her at her website. Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review f&g provided by the publisher.