Scientist and super pundit Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s observation that “…where ignorance lurks, so too do the frontiers of discovery and imagination” offers a strong rationale for exposing children early and often to science. Whether the titles here take young readers on rides to distant planets or into their own bodies, provide directions for demonstrations of basic scientific principles or explain how science is employed in coping with crimes and catastrophes, all present factual information in verbal and visual ways intended to stimulate an enduring curiosity about the natural world. Along with the leads to further audience-appropriate information in print or on the web, more series are including review or open-ended study questions in hopes of encouraging interest and critical thinking. Only rarely are production values for individual volumes less than first-rate.
Preschool-Grade 4
ADAMSON, Thomas K. Do You Really Want to Visit Mars? ISBN 978-1-60753-198-2. LC 2012025972.
––––. Do You Really Want to Visit Mercury? ISBN 978-1-60753-195-1. LC 2012025969.
––––. Do You Really Want to Visit the Moon? ISBN 978-1-60753-197-5. LC 2012025973.
––––. Do You Really Want to Visit Venus? ISBN 978-1-60753-196-8. LC 2012025970.
HEOS, Bridget. Do You Really Want to Visit Jupiter? ISBN 978-1-60753-199-9. LC 2012025971.
––––. Do You Really Want to Visit Neptune? ISBN 978-1-60753-201-9. LC 2012025975.
––––. Do You Really Want to Visit Saturn? ISBN 978-1-60753-200-2. LC 2012026003.
––––. Do You Really Want to Visit Uranus? ISBN 978-1-60753-202-6. LC 2012026005.
ea vol: illus. by Daniele Fabbri. 24p. (Do You Really Want to Visit…? Series). chart. further reading. glossary. websites. Amicus. 2013. lib. ed. $27.10.
Gr 1-2–Suggesting at best only quick visits, these lighthearted excursions send a diverse cast of young explorers to various solar-system locales to check out landforms, the uniformly hostile atmospheric conditions, and such other features of note as Jupiter’s Galilean moons (“the big kahunas”). Though readers will be left with pockets full of specific facts and also vivid impressions of what each destination is like, they will have to guess at the pronunciation of words like “maria” or “Enceladus,” and may find the cartoon illustrations, which often dissolve into jumbles of color, less than informative.
CANAVAN, Thomas. Do Plants Really Eat Insects?: Questions and Answers About the Science of Plants. ISBN 978-1-78212-392-7.
––––. Does It Really Rain Frogs?: Questions and Answers About Planet Earth. ISBN 978-1-78212-393-4.
––––. What Makes You Hiccup?: Questions and Answers About the Human Body. ISBN 978-1-78212-394-1.
––––. Why Are Black Holes Black?: Questions and Answers About Space. ISBN 978-1-78212-395-8.
––––. Why Do Ice Cubes Float?: Questions and Answers About the Science of Everyday Materials. ISBN 978-1-78212-396-5.
––––. Why Do Zebras Have Stripes?: Questions and Answers About Animals. ISBN 978-1-78212-397-2.
ea vol: 32p. (Science F.A.Q. Series). further reading. glossary. illus. index. photos. websites. Arcturus. 2013. lib. ed. $28.50.
Gr 2-5–Mixing no-brainers such as “Could you survive if you jumped up just before a falling elevator hit the ground?” (No) with such compelling enquiries as “Why is snow white?” and the prize-worthy “Do plants poop?” this set of science Q & A’s offers nontechnical but specific and clearly reasoned explanations for a wide range of common and uncommon natural phenomena. Each volume features four thematically related queries per spread, which are posed and answered alongside brightly colored, sometimes telling photos. “Can you really sit on a lily pad?” Yes, as the picture proves. Some questions don’t have tidy answers (“When will we run out of oil?”), thus making fine springboards for discussion and further research.
GARDNER, Jane P. Take a Closer Look at Your Brain. ISBN 978-16232-35499. LC 2013931443.
––––. Take a Closer Look at Your Lungs. ISBN 978-16232-35482. LC 2013931356.
––––. Take a Closer Look at Your Muscles. ISBN 978-16232-35512. LC 2013931447.
––––. Take a Closer Look at Your Stomach. ISBN 978-16232-35536. LC 2013931445.
MALASPINA, Ann. Take a Closer Look at Your Bones. ISBN 978-16232-35529. LC 2013931355.
SLIKE, Janet. Take a Closer Look at Your Eyes. ISBN 978-16232-35444. LC 2013931396.
––––. Take a Closer Look at Your Heart. ISBN 978-16232-35475. LC 2013931457.
VANVOORST, Jenny Fretland. Take a Closer Look at Your Ears. ISBN 978-16232-35451. LC 2013931454.
––––. Take a Closer Look at Your Nose. ISBN 978-16232-35468. LC 2013931397.
––––. Take a Closer Look at Your Skin. ISBN 978-16232-35543. LC 2013931446.
––––. Take a Closer Look at Your Teeth. ISBN 978-16232-35550. LC 2013931444.
VENTURA, Marne. Take a Closer Look at Your Bladder. ISBN 978-16232-35505. LC 2013931441.
ea vol: 24p. (Take a Closer Look Series). diag. further reading. glossary. illus. index. photos. websites. The Child’s World. 2013. lib. ed. $27.07.
Gr 2-4–Avoiding more controversial bodily features–or, in the case of Bladder, leaning toward abstraction in both text and illustrations–these bland introductions provide simple explanations of what selected anatomical components are made of and their functions. Each volume combines narratives directly addressing readers with a mix of posed photos of happy children and simplified diagrams or idealized digital models with labels. Sprinkled but not weighted down with specific terms such as “cochlea” and “periosteum,” the texts cover physical structures, functions, and diseases and disorders without disturbing details. Each volume concludes with clear messages about the importance of proper nutrition, health, physical exercise, and safety practices, plus leads to further information.
HIGGINS, Nadia. Life Science Through Infographics. illus. by Lisa Waananen. ISBN 978-1-4677-1288-0; ISBN 978-1-4677-1787-8. LC 2013004839.
––––. Natural Disasters Through Infographics. illus. by Alex Sciuto. ISBN 978-1-4677-1287-3; ISBN 978-1-4677-1788-5. LC 2013006928.
––––. The Solar System Through Infographics. illus. by Lisa Waananen. ISBN 978-1-4677-1289-7; ISBN 978-1-4677-1789-2. LC 2013004838.
ROWELL, Rebecca. Energy and Waves Through Infographics. illus. by Alex Sciuto. ISBN 978-1-4677-1290-3; ISBN 978-1-4677-1785-4. LC 2013004391.
––––. Forces and Motion Through Infographics. illus. by Venitia Dean. ISBN 978-1-4677-1291-0; ISBN 978-1-4677-1786-1. LC 2013004392.
––––. Weather and Climate Through Infographics. illus. by Venitia Dean. ISBN 978-1-4677-1292-7; ISBN 978-1-4677-1790-8. LC 2013004785.
ea vol: 32p. (Super Science Infographics Series). chart. diag. further reading. glossary. illus. index. map. photos. websites. Lerner. 11-2013. lib. ed. $26.60; ebk. $19.95.
Gr 3-5–A well-designed infographic simultaneously conveys facts and presents their interrelationships in visual ways. With but rare exceptions (such as a graph of multiple star characteristics in Solar System, a representation of the water cycle in Weather, and the occasional pie chart elsewhere), the silhouettes and other figures in these volumes may be done in a pictorial graphic style but are really just illustrations or images inserted to add visual interest. However, each title does offer sheaves of basic information in particularly concentrated form, including topic-expanding closing spreads (“10 Ways to Live Green” in Life Science, for instance), and the resources lists are above average.
HUNTER, Nick. Comets. ISBN 978-1-4329-7514-2; ISBN 978-1-4329-7519-7. LC 2012043045.
––––. Eclipses. ISBN 978-1-4329-7515-9; ISBN 978-1-4329-7520-3. LC 2012043047.
––––. Northern Lights. ISBN 978-1-4329-7516-6; ISBN 978-1-4329-7521-0. LC 2012043048.
––––. Stars and Constellations. ISBN 978-1-4329-7517-3; ISBN 978-1-4329-7522-7. LC 2012043049.
ea vol: 32p. (The Night Sky: And Other Amazing Sights in Space Series). diag. further reading. glossary. illus. index. photos. reprods. websites. Heinemann. 2013. lib. ed. $26; pap. $7.99.
Gr 2-4–Hunter will turn plenty of readers into enthusiastic sky watchers with these introductions to some of the heavens’ more easily observed phenomena. Leaving the brightly colored sky and space photos and /or illustrations on every page to supply the drama–which they do, in abundance–he offers particularly clear, matter-of-fact descriptions of what stars and comets are made of, what causes both solar and lunar eclipses and auroras, and, in brief, what our ancestors thought of these wonders. Each volume closes with a doable, relevant enrichment activity and a modest handful of leads to further information.
KUSKOWSKI, Alex. Science Experiments with Food. ISBN 978-1-61783-849-1; ISBN 978-1-62401-250-1. LC 2012049827.
––––. Science Experiments with Gravity & Motion. ISBN 978-1-61783-850-7; ISBN 978-1-62401-251-8. LC 2012049954.
––––. Science Experiments with Light. ISBN 978-1-61783-851-4; ISBN 978-1-62401-252-5. LC 2012049830.
––––. Science Experiments with Liquid. ISBN 978-1-61783-852-1; ISBN 978-1-62401-253-2. LC 2012049953.
––––. Science Experiments with Magnets. ISBN 978-1-61783-853-8; ISBN 978-1-62401-254-9. lib. LC 2012049960.
––––. Science Experiments with Sight & Sound. ISBN 978-1-61783-854-5; ISBN 978-1-62401-255-6. LC 2012049958.
ea vol: 32p. (More Super Simple Science Series). glossary. photos. ABDO. 2013. lib. ed. $27.07; ebk. $27.07.
K-Gr 3–Prefaced by boilerplate on the scientific method and a complete list of easily available ingredients, the 9 to 11 new science demonstrations in each volume of this follow-up set to ABDO’s “Super Simple Science” series offer clear directions, color photos (often of containers with visible brands), and lucid explanations of the scientific principles or processes involved. Though the lack of leads to further resources or additional experiments make these books less useful than other collections, such as Bearport’s “Fun-damental Experiments,” they do include such popular standbys as a lemon-powered lightbulb in Food, play with a laser pointer in Light, and “rubber” egg and green slime experiments in Liquid.
LAWRENCE, Ellen. Comets, Meteors, and Asteroids: Voyagers of the Solar System. ISBN 978-1-909673-22-9; ISBN 978-1-909673-23-6.
––––. Earth: Our Home in the Solar System. ISBN 978-1-909673-06-9; ISBN 978-1-909673-07-6.
––––. Jupiter: The Giant of the Solar System. ISBN 978-1-909673-12-0; ISBN 978-1-909673-13-7.
––––. Mars: The Dusty Planet. ISBN 978-1-909673-10-6; ISBN 978-1-909673-11-3.
––––. Mercury: The High-Speed Planet. ISBN 978-1-909673-02-1; ISBN 978-1-909673-03-8.
––––. The Moon: Our Neighbor in Space. ISBN 978-1-909673-08-3; ISBN 978-1-909673-09-0.
––––. Neptune: The Stormiest Planet. ISBN 978-1-909673-18-2; ISBN 978-1-909673-19-9.
––––. Pluto: And the Dwarf Planets. ISBN 978-1-909673-20-5; ISBN 978-1-909673-21-2.
––––. Saturn: The Ringed Wonder. ISBN 978-1-909673-14-4; ISBN 978-1-909673-15-1.
––––. The Sun: The Star of Our Solar System. ISBN 978-1-909673-00-7; ISBN 978-1-909673-01-4.
––––. Uranus: The Sideways-Spinning Planet. ISBN 978-1-909673-16-8; ISBN 978-1-909673-17-5.
––––. Venus: The Hot and Toxic Planet. ISBN 978-1-909673-04-5; ISBN 978-1-909673-05-2.
ea vol: 24p. (Zoom into Space Series). diag. further reading. glossary. illus. index. photos. websites. Ruby Tuesday Books. 2013. lib. ed. $23.93; ebk. $23.93.
Gr 1-2–Despite occasional slipups (e.g., the definition of “dwarf planet” in Pluto is significantly incomplete, and the Moon’s locked rotation is not mentioned in Moon), these introductions to the solar system offer generous doses of basic facts matched with large photographs or realistically rendered space art. In addition, each volume ends with a summary “Fact File” spread and a simple craft project. Along with a certain amount of boilerplate, the texts are framed in separated sentences that make monotonous reading next to the livelier rhythms in similar flights in, for instance, the “Space Travel Guides” series (Smart Apple).
SPILSBURY, Richard. Zoom in on Bizarre Bugs. ISBN 978-0-7660-4309-1. LC 2012045281.
––––. Zoom in on Body Invaders. ISBN 978-0-7660-4310-7. LC 2012045285.
––––. Zoom in on Crime Scenes. ISBN 978-0-7660-4311-4. LC 2012045286.
––––. Zoom in on House of Horrors. ISBN 978-0-7660-4312-1. LC 2012045287.
ea vol: 32p. (Zoom in on… Series). further reading. glossary. index. photos. websites. Enslow. 2013. lib. ed. $22.60.
Gr 3-5–Extreme close-ups of bugs, viruses, cells, and more charge up this series with browser appeal. These volumes offer a random sampling of creepy and odd subjects paired with melodramatic headlines, from praying mantises (“The Hug of Death”) to viruses (“Viruses Hitch a Ride”) to follicle mites (“Eyelash Bugs”). The up-in-your-face photos are presented with snippets of commentary in high-density jumbles of text and images. Reasonably generous resource lists, size comparisons, and notes on how much each photo has been magnified add at least some systematic elements.
Grades 5 & Up
CAPACCIO, George. Cancer Treatments. ISBN 978-1-60870-466-8; ISBN 978-1-60870-594-8. LC 2010045129.
COLLIGAN, L. H. Pain Treatments. ISBN 978-1-60870-468-2; ISBN 978-1-60870-596-2. LC 2010042492.
ELLIS, Carol. Vaccines. ISBN 978-1-60870-470-5; ISBN 978-1-60870-597-9. LC 2010044011.
LEW, Kristi. Antibiotics. ISBN 978-1-60870-465-1; ISBN 978-1-60870-593-1. LC 2010044009.
WOUK, Henry. Organ Transplants. ISBN 978-1-60870-467-5; ISBN 978-1-60870-595-5. LC 2010042491.
ea vol: 64p. (Advances in Medicine Series). chart. diag. further reading. glossary. index. photos. reprods. websites. Cavendish Square. 2013. lib. ed. $34.21; ebk. $34.21.
Gr 6-9–These utilitarian surveys offer relatively extended but nontechnical accounts of our developing understanding of various physical maladies and the most effective ways to treat them. The focus throughout is on “mainstream” medicine; acupuncture and other alternative strategies are mentioned–particularly in Pain Treatments–but generally in ambivalent or dismissive ways. Each volume includes discussions of current issues (e.g., the ominous rise of drug-resistant bacteria) and ends with general but tantalizing looks at future innovations, such as the possibility of a vaccine to prevent cocaine addiction. On the other hand, many of the books cited in the closing resource lists are several years old, and the photos are, by and large, sparse space fillers.
GRAHAM, Ian. Forces and Motion: Investigating a Car Crash. ISBN 978-1-4329-7602-6; ISBN 978-1-4329-7608-8. LC 2012034486.
ROONEY, Anne. Computer Science and IT: Investigating a Cyber Attack. ISBN 978-1-4329-7601-9; ISBN 978-1-4329-7607-1. LC 2012034484.
SOLWAY, Andrew. The Human Body: Investigating an Unexplained Death. ISBN 978-1-4329-7604-0; ISBN 978-1-4329-7610-1. LC 2012034488.
SPILSBURY, Richard. Chemical Reactions: Investigating an Industrial Accident. ISBN 978-1-4329-7600-2; ISBN 978-1-4329-7606-4. LC 2012034444.
––––. Health and Disease: Investigating a TB Outbreak. ISBN 978-1-4329-7603-3; ISBN 978-1-4329-7609-5. LC 2012034745.
ea vol: 56p. (Anatomy of an Investigation Series). chart. chron. diag. further reading. glossary. illus. index. map. photos. reprods. websites. Heinemann. 2013. lib. ed. $33.50; pap. $9.49.
Gr 5-7–Each of these multipurpose volumes opens with an example of a generic accident or incident, then goes on to present evidence gathered by investigators–with explanations of the scientific principles and procedures employed to understand it–and invitations to readers to sift the clues, make the calculations, and draw conclusions for themselves. Car Crash, for example, outlines how discovering the causes of an accident involves not only observing tire marks, vehicle positions, weather factors, and the like, but also knowing Newton’s laws of motion, studying the effects of pressure on metals, and calculating velocities and directions. “You’re the Investigator!” text boxes encourage critical-thinking skills, while others supply additional facts. Every volume includes photos, charts, and a low-tech project.
ROYSTON, Angela. Forces and Motion. ISBN 978-1-4329-8145-7; ISBN 978-1-4329-8155-6. LC 2012051635.
SPILSBURY, Louise & Richard Spilsbury . Electricity. ISBN 978-1-4329-8143-3; ISBN 978-1-4329-8153-2. LC 2012051622.
––––. Energy. ISBN 978-1-4329-8144-0; ISBN 978-1-4329-8154-9. LC 2012051623.
––––. Light and Sound. ISBN 978-1-4329-8146-4; ISBN 978-1-4329-8156-3. LC 2012051624.
ea vol: 48p. (Essential Physical Science Series). further reading. diag. glossary. index. photos. websites. Heinemann. 2013. lib. ed. $32.65; pap. $8.99.
Gr 4-6–An improvement over Capstone’s gimmicky “LOL Physical Science” series, these surveys of physical forces and phenomena combine straightforward, nontechnical explanations with well-designed graphics and murky but generally revealing photographs. The coverage is not always systematic–only one of the three classes of levers is mentioned in Forces and Motions, for instance, and AC and DC not at all in Electricity–but the texts are broken up into digestible blocks, with plenty of sidebars and captions. Even less able readers will come away with at least broad overviews of the covered topics. Each volume includes directions for several simple projects or demonstrations and suggested topics for further study.
In this generally above average lot, Arcturus’s “Science F.A.Q.” stands out for younger readers, and for middle graders Heinemann’s “Anatomy of an Investigation” offers a broad mix of hands-on projects, scientific analysis, and cool accounts of forensics in action. Heinemann’s “Night Sky: And Other Amazing Sights in Space” is likewise commendable for its broad scope and enticing topics. Despite problematic illustrations, the tours in Amicus’s “Do You Really Want to Visit…?” will leave readers with vivid impressions of planetary surfaces and atmospheres as well as basic facts about them. The other series provide well-tuned curriculum support and would make serviceable replacements for older titles on their topics.