THIS BOOK BUBBLES OVER

An airy disquisition on bubbles of all descriptions—including even the metaphorical sort.

Addressing readers who are “bubbling over with curiosity,” Nickum tallies substances that make bubbles, from chewing gum, whipping cream, and bubble roll plastic to lava covering a gassy volcanic eruption. The author then explains how bubbles are used to keep surfers warm and overheated echidnas cool, put out fires, help humpback whales trap prey, and (when embedded in ice and rock) explore the past of this planet and others. Countering any thoughts that the topic is as ephemeral as a soap bubble, Nickum also explains how tiny bubbles can have outsize effects on the weather and even the entire planet’s climate, thanks to their ability to trap huge quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide in our oceans. She invites readers to join the racially diverse cast of Meganck’s cartoon illustrations in blowing, stirring, poking, squeezing, eating, or just observing the ubiquitous phenomena—and to reflect on how bubbles play a figurative role in our language through expressions like “living in a bubble” or having a “bubbly personality.” She moves on to quick discourses on surface tension and other “bubble science,” and in a frothy closing note retraces her research in order to provide anyone eager to know more with leads to her sources.

Pop science at its most effervescent.