by Sean Connolly ; illustrated by Pat Lewis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2017
A new collection from an old hand at designing intriguing STEM activities that will entertain as well as enlighten.
Memorable disasters inspire modern experiments.
The author of The Book of Wildly Spectacular Sports Science (2016) offers this lively presentation of descriptions, explanations, and simple experiments that demonstrate the problems that caused 20 engineering disasters. Organized chronologically from the collapse of the Colossus of Rhodes in 226 BCE to London’s “Fryscraper” built in 2013, this is an irreverent history of human hubris. Besides a wide range of spectacular collapses, his examples include a molasses flood, an oil spill, a lake accidentally drained, a plane too heavy to fly, a car too underpowered to scale hills, and, of course, the leaning tower in Pisa, the “unsinkable” Titanic, and the dancing Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Each failure is presented with a quick, single-page account, an exploration of “what went wrong,” and a feature called “turn back the clock” describing what people knew at the time and relevant engineering principles. Each is accompanied by an experiment or two illustrating the problem or principles. These are clearly laid out with materials, step-by-step methods, and a follow-up explanation. They use commonly available materials and for the most part could be done without adult supervision, though they often require a friend or a small group. Photos and cartoonlike illustrations complete the appealing package.
A new collection from an old hand at designing intriguing STEM activities that will entertain as well as enlighten. (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7611-8394-5
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
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by Sean Connolly ; illustrated by Cara Bean
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by Jonah Winter ; illustrated by Jeanette Winter ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2020
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care.
In 1977, the oil carrier Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of oil into a formerly pristine Alaskan ocean inlet, killing millions of birds, animals, and fish. Despite a cleanup, crude oil is still there.
The Winters foretold the destructive powers of the atomic bomb allusively in The Secret Project (2017), leaving the actuality to the backmatter. They make no such accommodations to young audiences in this disturbing book. From the dark front cover, on which oily blobs conceal a seabird, to the rescuer’s sad face on the back, the mother-son team emphasizes the disaster. A relatively easy-to-read and poetically heightened text introduces the situation. Oil is pumped from the Earth “all day long, all night long, / day after day, year after year” in “what had been unspoiled land, home to Native people // and thousands of caribou.” The scale of extraction is huge: There’s “a giant pipeline” leading to “enormous ships.” Then, crash. Rivers of oil gush out over three full-bleed wordless pages. Subsequent scenes show rocks, seabirds, and sea otters covered with oil. Finally, 30 years later, animals have returned to a cheerful scene. “But if you lift a rock… // oil / seeps / up.” For an adult reader, this is heartbreaking. How much more difficult might this be for an animal-loving child?
Like oil itself, this is a book that needs to be handled with special care. (author’s note, further reading) (Informational picture book. 9-12)Pub Date: March 31, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3077-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
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by Denise Long ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2011
A splendid volume for young adventurers.
Based on her work with middle-school students, Long offers lessons on how to stay healthy and out of trouble while awaiting rescue, the same lessons taught to adults in her survival classes.
Her matter-of-fact, no-nonsense tone will play well with young readers, and the clear writing style is appropriate to the content. The engaging guide covers everything from building shelters to avoiding pigs and javelinas. With subjects like kissing bugs, scorpions, snow blindness and “How going to the bathroom can attract bears and mountain lions,” the volume invites browsing as much as studying. The information offered is sometimes obvious: “If you find yourself facing an alligator, get away from it”; sometime humorous: Raccoons will “fight with your dog, steal all your food, then climb up a tree and call you bad names in raccoon language”; and sometimes not comforting: “When alligators attack on land, they usually make one grab at you; if they miss, you are usually safe.” But when survival is at stake, the more information the better, especially when leavened with some wit. An excellent bibliography will lead young readers to a host of fascinating websites, and 150 clipart-style line drawings complement the text.
A splendid volume for young adventurers. (index not seen) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-56976-708-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
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