An appealing and accessible collection.
Forty science-related activities that can be done in a canning jar by young experimenters.
A former editor of FamilyFun magazine introduces his collection of activities with one double-page spread about science and the use of the scientific method to solve mysteries, and another on the advantages of the mason jar: widely available in various sizes, inexpensive and durable, heatproof, transparent, sealable, and often equipped with helpful measuring lines. Like many such compilations of “experiments” these are really demonstrations or ways to concoct a substance with which to experiment. Organized into chapters by study areas—chemistry, earth science, botany, biology, and physics—these relatively simple procedures are clearly presented, most compressed into just a two-page spread. Each offers a short introduction, a list of materials and tools, step-by-step instructions, “What to Watch for,” and “What’s Going on.” Separate text boxes headed with the phrases “Speak Like a Scientist,” “Science in Real Life,” or “Tell Me More” add extra information. Sometimes there are suggestions for variations and further exploration. All are illustrated with photographs, sometimes showing the experiment in progress, often showing middle-grade experimenters diverse in gender and race. There’s making goo (“also known as gack”), growing seedlings, dissolving an egg’s shell, and physics magic using air pressure, among many familiar activities, but the demonstration of the versatility of a mason jar is impressive.
An appealing and accessible collection. (index not seen) (Nonfiction. 8-14)Pub Date: May 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-61212-986-0
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
This book is buzzing with trivia.
Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both.
Flash, Batman, and other characters from the DC Comics universe tackle supervillains and STEM-related topics and sometimes, both.
Credited to 20 writers and illustrators in various combinations, the 10 episodes invite readers to tag along as Mera and Aquaman visit oceanic zones from epipelagic to hadalpelagic; Supergirl helps a young scholar pick a science-project topic by taking her on a tour of the solar system; and Swamp Thing lends Poison Ivy a hand to describe how DNA works (later joining Swamp Kid to scuttle a climate-altering scheme by Arcane). In other episodes, various costumed creations explain the ins and outs of diverse large- and small-scale phenomena, including electricity, atomic structure, forensic techniques, 3-D printing, and the lactate threshold. Presumably on the supposition that the characters will be more familiar to readers than the science, the minilectures tend to start from simple basics, but the figures are mostly both redrawn to look more childlike than in the comics and identified only in passing. Drawing styles and page designs differ from chapter to chapter but not enough to interrupt overall visual unity and flow—and the cast is sufficiently diverse to include roles for superheroes (and villains) of color like Cyborg, Kid Flash, and the Latina Green Lantern, Jessica Cruz. Appended lists of websites and science-based YouTube channels, plus instructions for homespun activities related to each episode, point inspired STEM-winders toward further discoveries.
Contentwise, an arbitrary assortment…but sure to draw fans of comics, of science, or of both. (Graphic nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-77950-382-4
Page Count: 160
Publisher: DC
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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