A breezy compendium for STEM-winders and casual browsers alike.
Clear evidence that there’s no such thing as a silly question.
Even the titular query gets a serious answer here (it has to do with the amount of stored energy that can be harnessed). It appears along with 49 more gathered at the Ontario Science Centre, including “Where does wind come from?”; “Why do we die?”; “What is time?”; and “If I were to sneeze in outer space, would my head blow up?” (Answer: no, but according to those “astro-snots…who have sneezed in micro-gravity, the force gently propel[s] them in the direction opposite to where their noses [are] pointing.” Emphasizing the efficacy of the scientific method (“Ask. Test. Repeat. It works”), Vermond draws from cited expert sources to explain in simple language a wide range of biological, geological, and astronomical phenomena—at least as currently understood—while not shying away from admitting that mysteries aplenty remain. Ogawa furnishes cartoon illustrations featuring a physically and racially diverse array of children as well as the odd smiling animal, rock, or nose-picking ET. A final question, “What hasn’t been invented?” prompts the author to open the floor to readers.
A breezy compendium for STEM-winders and casual browsers alike. (sources, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-77321-302-6
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
In this glossy photo essay, the author briefly recounts the study and exploration of the moon, beginning with Stonehenge and concluding with the 1998–99 unmanned probe, Lunar Prospector. Most of the dramatic photographs come from NASA and will introduce a new generation of space enthusiasts to the past missions of Project Mercury, Gemini, and most especially the moon missions, Apollo 1–17. There are plenty of photographs of various astronauts in space capsules, space suits, and walking on the moon. Sometimes photographs are superimposed one on another, making it difficult to read. For example, one photograph shows the command module Columbia as photographed from the lunar module and an insert shows the 15-layer space suit and gear Neil Armstrong would wear for moonwalking. That’s a lot to process on one page. Still, the awesome images of footprints on the moon, raising the American flag, and earthrise from the moon, cannot help but raise shivers. The author concludes with a timeline of exploration, Web sites, recommended books, and picture credits. For NASA memorabilia collectors, end papers show the Apollo space badges for missions 11–17. Useful for replacing aging space titles. (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-57091-408-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
The cleanup, finger pointing, litigation and economic recovery are still ongoing, but this overview of the Deepwater Horizon disaster offers a short and coherent account of the spill itself, the well’s eventual capping and, in broad strokes, the immediate environmental impact. Noting that the initial explosion occurred the very night of a ceremony commending the crew’s safety record (but not going into the long tally of construction shortcuts that made that ceremony so disingenuous), Landau provides a linear nonjudgmental account of major events between the April 20 eruption and the announcement of a permanent plug on Sep. 19, 2010. Big color photos add views of the platform burning, ships cleaning up oil slicks, oil-soaked wildlife and damaged coastal areas, along with smaller murky pictures of the failed blowout preventer on the ocean floor and the replacement cap. Additional graphics provide clear views of the technology—the rig itself, a cross-section of the blowout preventer and the relief well in relation to the original well—and a map of the Gulf coastline shows the affected areas. Limited, out of date and entirely based on secondary sources as it is, this still presents younger audiences a slightly more complete picture than Mona Chiang’s Oil Spill Disaster (2000). Includes eco-activities, resource lists and a tally of other major spills. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7485-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Millbrook
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2011
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