Simple Machines (Starting with Science) - Hardcover

Gr 2-4--Using primary background colors and attractive, enthusiastic children as models, the format of this series is spacious and packs visual punch. Each book contains 13 experiments that are clearly explained in the full-color photographs and step-by-step directions. The texts are set in blocks that list the materials needed, the methodology, and an explanation of the principle shown. In Simple Machines, the lever, wheel, wheel and axle, gears, pulleys, inclined plane, screw, and combinations of basic machines are explored. One activity involves moving a friend lying on a table by using a broomstick placed over a wooden chair as a lever and fulcrum, which could be problematic. In Solids, Liquids and Gases, the properties of matter are explained using common experiments such as making ice cream. In general, safety precautions are indicated in the text or illustrated in the photographs. Expansions of each activity are included in an appendix. These lively titles are far more attractive than Anne Horvatic's Simple Machines (Dutton, 1989; o.p.) and more interactive than Michael Dahl's "Early Reader Science: Simple Machines" (Bridgestone, 1996).

Kathryn Kosiorek, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Brooklyn, OH

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