PUSH! PULL! STOP! GO!: A Book About Forces and Motion

A very simple, sometimes oversimplified (gravity is ""the force that pulls all things down toward the earth"") explanation of the terms inertia (and three laws thereof), friction (""a kind of bumping,"" to start with), air resistance, and, with special patience and clarity, that bugaboo centrifugal force. All the concepts are illustrated with everyday examples -- pulling a wagonload of newspapers, stepping into a rowboat -- and then reviewed together when ""you"" are taken for a ride in the car. Lefkowitz has toned down the condescending verbosity of his water book (KR, 1973) though there are still echoes of that indulgent tone. Kids who think past the definitions level will still be wondering about the ""whys"" of friction and inertia, but Lefkowitz at least tells them what adults generally mean by the terms.