Here are experiments one hopes children will practice at someone else’s house. Even with clearly laid out Lab Rules—“Clean all your materials after you use them” and “Never pour a polymer or slime concoction down a drain”—there are bound to be some messy mishaps. “Soda slobber” creates great gobs of cola foam that “bubble up and out and all over the place.” “Bubbles that Bounce,” made with syrup, will leave a sticky reminder wherever they pop. And a chemistry-enhanced “Water Bomb,” made with vinegar, baking soda and a zip-lock sandwich bag could be painful if mishandled. It’s not enough to say in the text, “Don’t get the concoction in your eyes,” when the accompanying drawing shows the exploded bomb drenching an unsuspecting teen who was quietly reading. Despite these concerns, these experiments make chemistry interesting and fun and there are some neat recipes for making polymers like “Snot for Everyone,” made with gelatin, “Moo-vable Milk,” made with vinegar and milk, and “Clean Green Slime,” made with white glue and borax. Illustrations throughout are colorful and humorous, but all practitioners should be shown wearing safety goggles and gloves. Recommended with reservations. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)
Pub Date: May 13, 2005
ISBN: 1-57990-620-6
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
. Adamson is revered as one of the pioneers of the endangered animal movement; Neimark, though capturing much of Adamson’s milieu and the events of her life, paints her as a talented, but impulsive, moody woman. Growing up in Austria between world wars, Adamson trained as a pianist and as an artist. At 18, while attending a ball, she is carried off by a masked “apache” who declares, “You are mine.” The author burbles: “She felt the strength of his arms and the gritty warmth of his body.” That’s only one instance where the lack of source notes is keenly felt; readers will have to digest some astonishing information unaided. Although her romantic interlude lasts two years, her lover’s identity remains concealed (readers will have to suppose that she knew who he was, even if they don’t); Adamson, pregnant and abandoned, has an abortion, becomes a patient of Sigmund Freud, marries twice, and has two miscarriages before meeting her third husband, George Adamson, a gamekeeper in Kenya, who brings home three orphaned lion cubs. The many anecdotes comprising this biography are interesting, but without citations, leave readers unsettled; what is the possible source for Adamson’s dramatic death scene following a confrontation with a disgruntled ex-employee? “Blood seeped from her, but she felt no regrets. She had always chosen risk over safety. She would not, even now, be victim to fear.” (bibliography, index) (Biography. 12-14)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201368-7
Page Count: 118
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
An installment in the Information Revolution series provides an overview of current and predicted advances in technology as applied to the entertainment field. Oleksy (see above) attempts to cover the latest innovations in television, movies, video games, the Internet, music, sports, and radio. The book is written in the style of an extended newsmagazine article, complete with pull quotes, man-in-the-street comments, and poll results, and is unlikely to attract youthful browsers. Dedicated techies will find little that is new and may be annoyed by inaccuracies, e.g., it has been a long time since 40 megabytes was ``more than the entire storage system of most home computers.'' With a combination of current information that will soon be dated in the fast-moving world of technology and some mild predictions, this seems headed for a short shelf life. (b&w photos, index, not seen, glossary, bibliography) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-8160-3077-4
Page Count: 118
Publisher: Facts On File
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1995
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