Book Description

When Ralphie imagines that he's a superhero named Weatherman, the Magic School Bus becomes a glider riding an updraft into the storm clouds. Then the kids become part of the storm - turning from ice crystals to rain. It's a science lesson they'll never forget! ... Read more

Book Description

Discover the amazing story of energy -- where we can find it and how we can make the most of it.

Here is a spectacular, thought-provoking, and highly informative guide to the fascinating story of energy. Superb full-color photography of original equipment, intricate scientific instruments, 3-D models, and revealing experiments bring to life the ideas and discoveries that have changed our perception of the universe. See plants that bend toward light, alternative energy in action, the first batteries, the food chain, photosynthesis in plants, and how telephones convert the human voice into electronic signals. Learn how energy is measured, how without energy there would be no life at all, why matches burn, why recycling makes the most of energy, how waterwheels work, how efficient light bulbs save electricity, and how geothermal energy creates hot water. Discover the link between friction and heat, the development of steam turbines, how magnets work, how to make air liquid, how to heat coal to produce gas, the difference between renewable energy sources and fossil fuels, why sugar gives you energy, and much, much more. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

We're not as smart as we'd like to think
In the introduction Challoner writes that ancient people did not understand energy and an understanding of energy has only emerged in the past several hundred years. This is innacurate. People who still live ancient indigenous lifestyles often have a very sophisticated understanding of energy that is in fact far more functional than that of many modern people. While we often use energy indiscriminately without realizing the source of the energy of our food or our fuel, ancient people and those who still live in ancient ways are far more conscious of the energy they consume and where it comes from. Because they live in the ecosystems from which their energy comes, they have no choice but to use it responsibly, unlike "advanced" civilizations. The book may have plenty of accurate information about energy, but there is no need to introduce it with the myth that "advanced" cultures are superior in wisdom to ancient ones. I don't critique this because it is offensive, but because it is dangerous. Modern people must relearn what was once known by everyone: that if we don't understand our resources and use them wisely, we will have to live in the mess we create. ... Read more

Book Description

Take a detailed look at the fascinating world of robots - from the earliest single-task machines to the advanced intelligence of robots with feelings. Young readers will be amazed to learn all that robots can do: perform delicate surgical operations, clean city sewers, work as museum tour guides, or even battle each other in combat. Find out how humans have created these mechanical minds and bodies. ... Read more

Book Description

FINALLY . . . An exciting and dynamic way to communicate the basic concepts of elementary science to your young learner!The Complete Book of Science--THE MOST THOROUGH AND COMPREHENSIVE EARLY LEARNING SCIENCE GUIDE AVAILABLE!

Designed by leading experts in the field of science education, this hands-on guide provides children grades 1-2 the tools they need to become actively involved with science. The Complete Book of Science leads children through the processes of observation and experimentation, predicting and drawing conclusions.WHAT MAKES The Complete Book of Science so different from other books?It's the most complete book that offers:

Challenging and motivating science investigations.

Hands-on approach to science learning.

Complete directions and examples with every activity.

Background information and activity suggestions for parents.

Vivid, full-color illustrations to spark the learner's interest. The Complete Book of Science--your essential early learning science guide! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Another terrific title from McGraw-Hill
I love the "Complete Book of" books from MH, and this one is the biggest hit at my house. I homeschool my first grader, and we use this as our main science curriculum.We do the hands-on activities and we use supplemental reading to delve more deeply into each of the subjects.The "Animals" section goes beautifully with their Complete Book of Animals and their Solar System section also corresponds terrifically with The Complete Book of Our Solar System.This is enough material for the core of two years' worth of study, and the activities are bright, engaging, imaginative, and never boring.It's a shame it's out of print now, but it's worth getting a used copy - an excellent value all around.My child ASKS to "do science" now thanks to this book. =)

Wonderful for homeschool supplementing!
I currently teach my kids using unit studies, and this book is a wonderful supplement to many of the subjects we cover.

Great book for hands on learning.
I teach kindergarten and have found this book to be an excellent resource.It gives step by step instructions, interesting - fun lessons for the children, and helps make learning science concepts fun. ... Read more

Book Description

A unique collection of amazing views of the world by Stephen Biesty.

Machines, ships, buildings, and the human body as you've never seen. This unique collection of extraordinary illustrations by artist Stephen Biesty explores machines, building, ships, and even the human body from the inside out. From the Grand Canyon to the Space Shuttle, Biesty's amazingly detailed cross-section views take you right inside to reveal how things work or how things are made. See how a 14th-century castle holds up against a siege, and what life would have been like inside a World War II submarine. Learn how 18th-century warships battled on the high seas and what life is like on a space station. Discover how everyday things are made, from false teeth to Formula 1 racing cars and what holds up to the Empire State Building.

Author and illustrator team Richard Platt and Stephen Biesty's first collaboration Incredible Cross-Sections went straight to the top of the best-seller list. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

It REALLY IS the Coolest Cross-Sections Ever!
We absolutely love this book and so glad it is in our home library. It is on our coffee table and continually poured over. I think this book will be timeless in this family. We love the detail, the layout, the insight and depth it gives on a topic in such an approachable way. Beautifully illustrated and presented. I think it deserves more than just 5 points. It is a winner.

One in a Great Series
Illustrator Stephen Biesty carved out his own niche in books by grabbing a concept and doing it well, over and over again. The concept was to take well-known but complex things, like ships, machines, geological formations, and the human body, and make them more understandable by giving a series of drawings, for each object, showing what that object would look like if it were sliced in sections. Kind of sounds like an MRI in medicine! The drawings are bright, colorful, and extremely detailed. With each, there is a short, clearly-written description of the object and some of its aspects. These books make great gifts for older kids, who will get a kick out of the fact that most items show the bathrooms in use, and don't be surprised if an adult or two peeks at the book several times. ... Read more

Book Description

Archaeologists on a dig work very much like detectives at a crime scene. Every chipped rock, charred seed, or fossilized bone could be a clue to how people lived in the past. In this information-packed Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science book, Kate Duke explains what scientists are looking for, how they find it, and what their finds reveal.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Well-conceived and informative
This book is part of the Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series, which has more than 80 titles. The Stage 1 books explain simple and easily observable science concepts for preschool- and kindergarten-age children. Stage 2 books, which includes this title, explore more challenging concepts for children in the primary grades and include hands-on activities that children can do themselves. "Archaeologists Dig For Clues" is well-conceived and informative, with bright cartoon drawings. It is formatted a little like the "Magic School Bus" books, more for upper elementary kids. ... Read more

Book Description

Bats and big cats. Armies of ants. Squawking parrots. Strangling figs. From the ground up to the tree tops, the tropical rainforest teems with life. Stunning drawings, step-by-step experiments, fun-to-do activities, and fascinating facts abound in this magical exploration of an essential ecosystem, in danger of disappearing forever. Tropical Rain Forest is a new edition to the One Samll Square Series not previously published in hardcover. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great, whether you get to the rain forest or not
The One Small Square series is wonderful: the concept is that you take a hypothetical square foot of an environment- woods, seashore, arctic tundra, rainforest, etc.- and explore it at all levels, from underground to the sky. Each book is extensively illustrated with all of the inter-connected layers of life- from fungus to megafauna- in the Square. On the margin of most of the 2-page spreads are activities that you can do, no matter where you live. Food chains, life cycles & seasons are explored, and the back section has an identification guide to all of the life forms presented in the book.

We took One Small Square: Tropical Rain Forest with us on a trip to the Brazilian rainforest with our 5 & 7 year olds. The book was great- for the grown ups & the kids! We used it as a guide to identify many of the animals & plants we saw, as background to help the girls understand what they were going to see, as reading on the long trips up the river. We did many of the activities- some before, some during, and some after the trip. Our guide was so impressed with it that he ordered a copy for himself, saying that it was hard to find something with so much information that was both accurate and interesting to people at many different levels of knowledge. Highly recommended! ... Read more

Book Description

Find your fun! "Fun isn't something or somewhere or who. It's a feeling of joy that lives inside of you." ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Fun Is A Feeling
...Savor that smile as it slips onto your face and let the merriment begin with this refreshing and insightful narrative about the feelings of a child. This book is both adorable and wise, and it teaches children to look at everything and every situation in a different way. Fun Is A Feeling tells us that fun is where we find it and shows us how to look for it; however, it also reminds us that sometimes we have to put that fun there.

Inside this book, children will discover things that will delight their imagination and wisdom that can only come from within. Fantasy and whimsy permeate, fill, and overflow these pages. That isn't simply a sprinkle of rain pitter-pattering on the upturned faces of children! Who would settle for rain when it can be turned into tiny little kisses - from raindrops that were looking just for them? And what about that bug that lands on their nose? Isn't it there just to give them a hug?

Stardust sparkles and swirls from page to page, sweeping us along with pure joy. Trees stretch their arms wide to let the smiles of children sail through their branches and tickle their leaves. The clear blue waters of a stream giggle their way through a forest glade, while colorful little fish leap as high as they can to peek out at the glorious scenery. What child could resist such beautiful illustrations, or fail to understand the most important message carried within this story...children are very special and their joy can light up the universe.

This is a wonderful book. Sweep up some of its stardust, put it in your pocket, and let its magical message change the way you look at your world - and when that happens, it will change your life...

Reviewed by Ruth Wilson

Another great childrens book from the Curtis & Aldrich team!
...Fun isn't something or somewhere or who... it's a feeling a joy that lives inside of you!...

An absolutely wonderful book, full of joy and of course... FUN! Awesome illustrations and great for kids even below the suggested age group (suggested age group: 4-8). Our son is 2 1/2 and adores this as well as our 1 yr. old daughter!

This book teaches about feelings (sad, happy, angry) and how each and every one of them are healthy and ok, including the feeling, fun. Nice suggestions for older kids are included like having fun by imagining .. "vacuuming the hall with an elephants snout" and so forth.

Our kids enjoy this book every time we read it, which is almost every day incidentally. Not to mention, how much my husband and I enjoy reading it with them.

Colorful way to teach a valuable lesson
The rhymes are catchy-- And the colors real bright-- Read this book and-- Get it right!! Fun is a feeling, Don't you see? Put your 'tude on happy-- And live blissfully!!

Chara Curtis wrote it better! Wish I had this gentle knock on the head when I was a greedy little brat (not like your kids, right?) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Disappointing
The editorial review of this series from School Library Journal is wrong. The new editions of these books do not "expand greatly" on the original 1988 editions; they greatly contract. The 1988 edition of the books on Ancient Egypt and Ancient Mesopotamia had eight chapters and 92 pages. This new edition gives them only only six chapters and 64 pages, and the word count per page is reduced. Indeed color pictures and illustrations were added and the glossary expanded, but the text is reduced to about two thirds of the original. Students are better off reading the original editions in the Watts "First Book" series.

Pretty pictures, but not much text
This book is part of the Science of the Past series. This book examines the Mesopotamians' knowledge of medicine, mathematics, astronomy and metallurgy. It concludes with a glossary, and a list of Internet sites.

This book is very short indeed, the main body being a mere 40 pages long, including some pages that are mostly taken up by pictures, but excluding the glossary and so forth. The pictures are excellent, and the information seems to be correct. However, this book is rather too short to provide much information. Overall, I do not recommend this book. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Details
This is a great book because it offers detailed, factual information about seasons, and doesn't leave any of the important concepts out. It also has great illustrations that are labeled. Gibbons gives children credit for being intelligent enough to understand the complex ways in which our world works, yet understands their developmental needs, and therefore makes the text accessible. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not worth it
I'm currently a student enrolled in a class that is using this book.I bought it over the summer to prepare for the course and found it very confusing.The book is very illogical and not well written at all.The writers seem to try to find the most complicated way to express even the simplest idea.For example Newton's first law of motion is stated as "An object at rest and an object in motion maintains its velocity unless it experiences an unbalanced force."How much wordier can it get?

The entire textbook is this way and jumps from one subject to another with almost no logical order.I would strongly suggest that anyone thinking of buying this book reconsider.There are many superior books out there than this one.

Excellent
This book is so useful and easy. If you are not getting it then your out of your mind. I'm 15 and I'm just finishing this book. It couldn't be any easier. IF you and your teacher dont get it then you should go back to the 1st grade and along with your teacher too. Please people try to read the book not just look at the pictures!

BAD
I am a student and i happen to have a Holt Science Spectrum textbook and I do not find this book helpful to me at all. All this book does is confuse me and with this I believe that I speak for the whole class including the teacher. This book changes from one subject to the other randomly andinsufficiently explains the topic, It tries to cover the lack of info with the pictures. We have even found grammatical errors.

BAD
I am a student and I do not find this book helpful to me at all. All this book does is confuse me and with this I believe that I speak for the whole class including the teacher. This book changes from one subject to the other randomly andinsufficiently explains the topic, It tries to cover the lack of info with the pictures. We have even found grammatical errors.

What doesn't Amazon have a 0 stars?
This book is a nightmare!I am a science teacher and was looking for a new Physical Science book.This one came highly recommended by a colleague in a nearby school district.However, I have to say she was wrong.This goes well beyond a difference of opinion.

This book is very confusing.The explanations are very hard to understand (even to me -- I have a degree in Physics).The paragraphs lack clarity or coherence, and the book is packed full of a random jumble of pictures, illustrations, and little "side notes".

In addition, the book chose to justify its (...) price with 170 pages of unrelated material.This is Earth Science, environmentalism, weather, and other such "garbage."

This book is an EXCELLENT example of what is wrong with science education in this country.It's as though the writers have concluded that science is "boring" so they need to distract the students so they don't realize they're learning science, and they seem to believe teachers are complete morons who will be so fascinated by the pretty pictures and the cool little activities that they won't notice that it is all hat and no cattle.

I realize that my language is strong, but this book really upset me.Usually I can set a bad text aside, but this book seemed almost subversive -- as though foreigners wrote it to destroy science education in this country. (..) ... Read more

Book Description

Blast off into the wacky world of gadgets!

Have you ever wondered what makes airplanes fly, how boats float, or why your doorbell works?

• Would you like to build your own flying, floating, diving, spinning, howling, scooting objects?
• Are you looking for a terrific science project that moves?

If you answered "Yes!" to any of these questions, then Rocket Science is for you. It shows you the science behind how things work by teaching you how to build a rocket boat, kaleidoscope, mousetrap car, stethoscope, compass, fruit-powered battery, and lots of other wonderful gizmos. All of the projects are safe and easy to make out of stuff you can find around your house.

This amazing book covers a wide variety of science topics, including mechanics, air power, water power, electricity, magnetism, chemistry, acoustics, and optics. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Well organized and practical
The book is well organized, with experiments and explanations that are simple enough to work with one or thirty kids (I teach 5th grade).

This is a great, fun suppliment to any curriculum you may already have. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (3)

Great color pictures & Photos and easy experiments
My son wanted a microscope for his birthday. I had already bought some microscope books. This one was the best for beginners. On every page there are detailed but cute color pictures explaining all the technical stuff. ALSO, on each page that talks about viewing a particular object under the microscope, there's an ACTUAL PHOTO of the object under the microscop, so you don't have to guess if you're looking at the right thing. This is a really fun book. Before I looked at this book I was getting discouraged because the other two books seemed way too complicated and thus boring for my 8 year old son.

NOT ONLY are the pictures and experiments great, but this book talks about SAFETY, it tells you what overall SUPPLIES you will need, for each individual experiment what SUPPLIES you will need, it explains--in a FUN WAY--how the microscope and other lenses work. ALSO, in the authors own words, "THE MICROSCOPE BOOK is intended to teach children basic techniques and observation skills WITHOUT DESTROYING ANY LIFE FORMS."

I commend the authors Shar Levine & Leslie Johnstone and the Illustrator David Sovka.

The perfect microscope book for the younger readers.
This larger format book contains a wonderful mix of colorful cartoon-like illustrations and full color photomicrographs of interesting projects for learning more about our small world. The book is entertaining, educational, and fun. Teenagers and adults will want to follow-up with the more detailed book "Exploring with the Microscope", by Werner Nachtigall.

The perfect microscope book for the 9-12 age group.
This well illustrated book covers the basics of microscopy for the younger reader in an atmosphere of fun and delight. The reader will learn more about their small world and have a good time with the many interesting projects. This book and it's cartoon-like illustrations and detailed photomicrographs are a wonderful example of a fine science book for young readers. ... Read more

Book Description

Bubbles

What are bubbles made of?

Why are they always round?

Read and find out about the science behind soap bubbles, and learn why bubbles always go POP!

Reviews (1)

great for bubble blowers
Who knew that blowing bubbles could be educational? My seven year old son was asking lots of questions about bubbles so we read this book at the library.

It's great for kids ages 4-10. It tell how bubbles are made and why they are round and things like that. The pictures are great also!! ... Read more

Book Description

In kitchens and living rooms, in garages and labs and basements, even in converted chicken coops, women and girls have invented ingenious innovations that have made our lives simpler and better. Their creations are some of the most enduring (the windshield wiper) and best loved (the chocolate chip cookie). What inspired these women, and just how did they turn their ideas into realities? ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Loved it. Very inspirational.
I first read the book with my daughter and then shared it with my Girl Scout troop. It was very inspirational and a joy to see some many innovations coming from women.

Inventive & Imaginative
A fascinating collection with just the right tone. And MelissaSweet's inventive illustrations will inspire creative thinking byfuture inventors!

Wow! Girls are amazing!
The inspiring nuggets of information in Catherine Thimmesh's book have my mind racing--do I have an invention lurking somewhere inside of me? The author's concise, information-packed, yet fun narrative will intrigue children and adults alike, many of whom will turn page after page saying, "I never knew that!" Judging from the chronology of inventions on the endpapers, Ms. Thimmesh has many more stories to tell, and I can't wait to read them. Melissa Sweet's collage illustrations are the perfect complement, fascinating in their detail and ingenious in the textures and materials she chooses. I've already bought several copies of this book; one to keep and others to give as gifts. I can think of many children who will pore over this book with great interest.

Entertaining and Enlightening Stories
Girls Think of Everything is truly captivating. The "Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women" are told in a manner which will delight the target audience. The writing is crisp, interesting and sophisticated and will hold the interest of bright children and interested adults alike; while at the same time, the stories are quite accessible for even younger children. The book is not a dry compilation of biographies of inventors or a boring recitals of the history of various inventions; but, instead, an ingenious approach to telling important (and fun) "Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women." ... Read more