Something old, something new, some with batter, some are blue, and lots of projects here to do!
Kitchen science experiments may be reaching peak popularity thanks to at-home learning.
In an era of learning at home in unprecedented numbers, caregivers may take comfort in this collection of eight different kitchen projects from the STEM-oriented nonprofit Science Buddies. Ahrens offers a mix of old favorites alongside new ideas: The classic rock-candy experiment is here, but the equally hoary baking-soda volcano has been upgraded to a baking soda volcano in a lemon. Kids may have seen make-your-own-ice-cream projects; Ahrens gives the notion a bit of a twist with a make-your-own-slushy activity. And though readers may have seen recipes for baked Alaska like the one on offer here, less common is the opportunity to make edible paper out of rice flour and potato starch. Eye-popping color photographs, many featuring families of color at work, are enticing accompaniments to each of these projects. The science, alas, takes up far less space. Every experiment featured here includes five or six sentences labeled “Science Takeaway.” These brief summaries cover the rudimentary scientific principles at work, but caregivers may feel the need to supplement them with additional information and books of their own. Additional online information includes more experiments, discussions of scientists and their work, and complementary videos.
Something old, something new, some with batter, some are blue, and lots of projects here to do! (glossary, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-72841-468-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lerner
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe.
An introduction to gravity.
The book opens with the most iconic demonstration of gravity, an apple falling. Throughout, Herz tackles both huge concepts—how gravity compresses atoms to form stars and how black holes pull all kinds of matter toward them—and more concrete ones: how gravity allows you to jump up and then come back down to the ground. Gravity narrates in spare yet lyrical verse, explaining how it creates planets and compresses atoms and comparing itself to a hug. “My embrace is tight enough that you don’t float like a balloon, but loose enough that you can run and leap and play.” Gravity personifies itself at times: “I am stubborn—the bigger things are, the harder I pull.” Beautiful illustrations depict swirling planets and black holes alongside racially diverse children playing, running, and jumping, all thanks to gravity. Thorough backmatter discusses how Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity and explains Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. While at times Herz’s explanations may be a bit too technical for some readers, burgeoning scientists will be drawn in.
An in-depth and visually pleasing look at one of the most fundamental forces in the universe. (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781668936849
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tilbury House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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