Reviews (1)

Brain Power
Another excellent book by Stille. She nicely organizes the information and explains the nervous system. She explains how"the brain is the center of our emotions" (8). Covers the central, peripheral, and autonomic nervous systems. Detailed description of the brain, spinal cord, nerve cells (i.e. axons can be more than 3 feet long), how nerves talk, and nerves and muscles. There is a list of print, web, and other resources, a glossary, and index. Karen Woodworth-Roman, Children's Science Book Review ... Read more

Book Description

The companion book to the television series The Future is Wild!

If dinosaurs roamed the earth millions of years ago, what creatures will be around in the next 5 million years? 100 million years? 200 million years? A team of international scientists, documentary film makers and animators are imagining the future based on present-day science. Their vision of the future comes alive in a 7-part television series and The Wild World of the Future, a fascinating introduction to evolution, geology and biology. It clearly explains how the amazing creatures of the future will evolve and what our planet may look like millions of years from now.

The Wild World of the Future:
- Profiles 36 amazing creatures including the bumblebeetle, scrofa, poggle and sharkopath
- Explains how the Earth changes, how it may change in the future and what habitats will develop
- Describes past evolution and adaptation such as how the Cactus finch evolved on the Galápagos Islands
- Shows future evolution in action-how a snail becomes a desert hopper
- Invites kids to imagine their own future with a behind-the-scenes look at the science of the show and tips for creating their own creatures
- Features 200 color photographs and illustrations, a glossary and index ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Geared more toward young people than the other TFIW book.
Still, this book is a great summary of the ideas that TFIW's scientists came up with, and provides tidbits of interesting info on animals of today that correspond with those guessed at for the far future. A glossary nicely rounds out this highly worthwhile, fascinating book. Give it a read.

I'm sure the reviewer below looks
I bought this book after reading The Future is Wild.
This book is much the same, but adapted to younger tastes. It also expains that although they may look "silly" as the reviewer below remarked, but are proven body designs that would supposably accually work, or somethin or another. Please do not listen to the adjacent and dissilusioned reviewer. Althogh, you would probably appreciate the book better if you read the other first.

A bit far fetched
Many of the drawings of the creatures look like something out of H.P. Lovecraft. Speculation on what life on this planet will look like in the far future is kind of interesting, but many of the drawings looked silly to me...and the names -- "sharkopath?" ... "squibbon?"

Also what do Dougal Dixon and John Adams have to do with this book? I could not find them credited anywhere in the text or the verso page? ... Read more

Book Description

The Scholastic Science Readers series was created especially to bring exciting nonfiction to beginning readers. Each book combines easy-to-read text with outstanding photographs to give kids an introduction to their favorite topics. Nature comes alive within the covers of these full-color books. Special ³Take a Look² boxes give kids a closer look at the natural world, the inside of a wolf¹s den, an X ray of a hand, or a close-up of a bat¹s fur. Each book includes an easy activity that a child can do for further exploration.

SCHOLASTIC SCIENCE READERS: SKELETONS offers an overview of our splendid skeletons. Kids will learn how many bones we have, what they are made of, how they grow, how they can be strengthened, and how they work together with muscles. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Mosquitos: Ubiquitous blight of the earth
Mosquitos now inhabit most of the earth, including the Arctic.They may only live three weeks to five months, but the nasty little critters have been on earth since the dinosaurs and do not appear likely to go away soon.Ouch!
Mosquitos give credence to the argument that everything was put here to be eaten.
Did you know the female mosquito mate only once, but the male mates as often as he can?Enough of that...
We are cautioned that only a few of the 3,000 species bite humans, but that's plenty!
Lots of super clear color photography.Kudos to the photographers. Glossary and index.
A great high interest read and a welcome nonfiction addition to any school or public library. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Interesting book
I read this book to my children the same evening I got all the children's books on genes. Frankly, when I finished reading this one, I thought to myself that this book was a bit dense--probably best suited for 10 and up and only those scientifically inclined. The information is accurate, but the language is a bit "stiff" (dry like a science journal) and there is a lot of repetition (perhaps as a way of drilling the concepts into children). We also bought a couple of other books by the same author and all of these books have overlapping sections. After a couple of books, I got tired of the constant repetition.

Had I logged on and put in a review then, I might have given the book 3 stars. But, when I put my kids to bed, my 5 year old said to me, with a naughty smile on his face, "It is not fair--girls get two X's and boys only get one X." So I said to him that he's got something girls don't have-what is that? He replied, "The Y!"

I have to admit I was impressed--with my son as well as with the book. Dry the book may sound to me, somehow it manages to impart some very important information and makes the information interesting and accessible to a 5 year old. For that, I think my money is well spent.

Okay book, but not as good as its competition
This book is alright, but a bit outdated (9 years old). However, the new competition has better illustrations, concepts, and information, making it more enjoyable for the children and the adults. Unfortunately, "My First Book About DNA" isn't on Amazon yet, but you can find it via a search engine by searching for the title. Hopefully Amazon will pick it up soon!

You need this book!
This book is 100% scientifically correct, but it's a fun comic book, so even the very young can enjoy it. Read it to your kid, and you'll both learn at the same time! ... Read more

Book Description

The names of James Watson and Francis Crick are bound together forever because the scientific discovery they made was truly a joint enterprise. As Edward Edelson reveals in this intriguing biography, Watson and Crick were the first to describe the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, the molecule that carries our genes and determines everything from the color of our eyes to the shape of our fingernails. Even though Watson and Crick's collaboration lasted only a few years, their achievement was enough to tie their names together forever in the history of science and to establish a firm footing for what was then a radical new branch of science: molecular biology. In doing so, they paved the way for the early detection of genetic diseases such as sickle-cell anemia, and for new scientific leaps such as animal cloning. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Francis Crick and James Watson
Good science book on the subject, very thorough biographies of both Crick and Watson.Text is a little dry, but the occasioanl picture perks it up.Illustrations are in black and white. I would recommend this book to the7th grade up, and will include a recommendation for the teachers as well. ... Read more

Book Description

Why do flower petals so often grow in a circle?

Why are toucans' beaks so brilliantly colored?

With a simple text and bright, jewel-like illustrations, Susan Stockdale explores the myriad ways in which patterns and colors are helpful to living things. They provide camouflage, of course, but that's only the beginning....

A pinwheel of flower petals draws bees to a flower's center where they can collect sweet nectar and drop off pollen. And a toucan waves its colorful beak like a flag to attract a mate.

Clever and eye-opening, Nature's Paintbrush will encourage youngsters to examine, think about, and enjoy the colorful world around them. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Love the art work
I really enjoyed the book. I met the author at my first graders Young Writers Conference on May 11, 2000. I was very pleased with the book and purchased one. My Daughter has sat and read the book at least ten times since our purchase. We love the art work. The colors are wonderful and the pictures are truly amazing and depict real life scenerios. I look forward to purchasing and hearing about any new releases from Susan Stockdale in the future. This is one of the best non-fiction books I have read and enjoyed. I would recommend this book for everyone of all ages. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great beginning reader book
I read this with my 8 year old. The words were easy and lots of facts. My son loved it. Much cheaper in paper back. I would love to get the enire "Life Cycle" series. ... Read more