Simple Machines - (Do It Yourself) by Buffy Silverman (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

-How did the Ancient Egyptians build the pyramids? -What is an Archimedes' screw? -Which wedge do you use every time you eat? Do It Yourself offers an exciting new approach to understanding and investigation. Each book helps you conduct your own experiments and activities to learn more about the world around you.

Review Quotes

These books introduce scientific concepts and include related experiments. Explanations incorporate mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics for a whole-world understanding. Although attractive and simple on paper, a few experiments prove tricky to implement or yield subtle or underwhelming results. While accurate and complete descriptions predominate, some are simplified, such as the definition of zero decibels. An objective section on climate change in Weather refers to "the last few decades," which seems a bit vague. The books boast clear black-and-white and color photographs and full-color illustrations depicting everyday examples of these changing materials. Each title includes information on science museums to visit. Recommended-S. McClendon, Friends School of Atlanta, Decatur, GASchool Library Journal-- "School Library Journal"

Scientific concepts are explained in brief paragraphs accompanied by simple hands-on activities that demonstrate the concepts in each title, and each concludes with the current status of the field of study. These titles introduce a lot of material quickly. Diagrams and labels are lacking, and an occasional awkwardly written sentence adds to comprehension challenges for beginners. Captioned photographs illustrate the concepts but many are not used to their full effect. A good student encyclopedia has an equivalent amount of information. Bibliography. Glossary. Index. Recommended--Carol S. Surges, Library Media Specialist, McKinley Elementary, Wauwatosa, Wisconsin Library Media Connection November/December 2009-- "Library Media Connection"