An inviting introduction to energy, its nature and indispensability, and the baggage it trails in its wake.
Paleja presents a formal yet friendly tour of energy: where it comes from, how we use it, and who’s using it how.
This “visual exploration of energy” is a smartly dressed one, graphics artfully assembled, beckoning, and thoughtful. If Tse’s artwork kindles a steady interest in the proceedings, Paleja’s text keeps readers’ brains in a steady, kinetic state. He has a knack for simplifying complex processes, although now and then it comes up short: for instance, he draws a clear picture of some consequences of climate change but not how that change threatens animal species or how it harms human safety. Generally, the text is an incitement to learn more. How is it that energy is neither created nor destroyed? How do you split an atom, and why is there so much energy inside such a really little thing? None of this is obvious, and the illustrations and the text work in tandem to address the whole issue of how things work—energy: the ability to do work—and how energy’s use can have ethical considerations. Such choices as immediate gratification vs. respect for future generations are ever present, if mostly on a subliminal level. Paleja and Tse make readers want to think about these questions, not dread the encounter with thorny topics.
An inviting introduction to energy, its nature and indispensability, and the baggage it trails in its wake. (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-55451-727-5
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
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
Most children know what an astronaut is, but an aquanaut? Not so common. Focusing on a one-week expedition in the underwater science station Aquarius, Mallory and marine photographer Skerry literally immerse themselves in this adventure. The science station is an 80-ton cylindrical steel chamber that's like “a mobile home someone has driven into the ocean.” The team's project is to electronically tag fish and observe their daily habits. The narrative chronicles the safety training needed before the expedition, the implantation of tags or pingers inside the fish and the day-to-day experience of living 60 feet below the ocean’s surface. What do aquanauts eat? Can you make telephone calls and send e-mails? And most importantly—is it possible for a toilet to explode from too much pressure? (Answer: yes.) Full-page interludes on topics such as sea-habitat history and the importance of decompression are disruptive at times but ultimately add to the understanding of this undersea adventure. A rather dry design aside, this book intrigues. (introduction, further reading, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-607-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
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