(3) 4-6 In an engaging, browsable volume, Goldsmith profiles nineteen scientific breakthroughs and the people credited with those discoveries. Grouped by topics (e.g., medicine, planet earth, the universe), each four-page section includes an overview of the concept, a full-page photo or illustration of the scientist, and an account of how the discovery was made. Additional illustrations help to explain the scientific content. Timeline. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 This history of space exploration highlights major accomplishments in satellite, rocket, space station, and probe technologies. Interactive paper flaps allow readers to peer inside various rockets, and a series of pull-outs (tripling the length of a page) are fragile and awkward but informative. Color illustrations provide good detail of the various spacecrafts and the planets they've investigated. Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark A. Garlick. Goldsmith takes readers on a tour of the universe, stopping light minutes, hours, or years from Earth to visit planets, moons, and stars in various stages of birth and death, as well as neighboring galaxies. Each double-page spread is dominated by a richly hued artist's conception illustration of the featured astronomical body. A small text box describes the scene and presents related facts. Websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 This overview of space science contains factual tidbits about a range of astronomy topics, from planets in our solar system to stars and galaxies beyond, as well as coverage of the past, present, and future technologies used by humans to explore the universe. Each two-page layout contains a variety of facts and definitions spread across color illustrations of varying sizes. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Mark A. Garlick. This tour of geologic time begins with the formation of the solar system and progresses through Earth's history, stopping to highlight events such as the dinosaur age, ice ages, and the activities of humans. Each step is illustrated with a dramatic interpretive picture that’s accompanied by a brief textual description. More specific details are found in the timelines that complete the volume. Websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) K-3 Discover Science series. Basic information about the planets in the solar system is presented on double-page spreads illustrated with color photos. The brevity of text sometimes results in more questions than answers. A few activities are included, ranging from keeping track of the moon's phases to making a comet-shaped ice-cream cone. This revised edition was originally part of the Kingfisher Young Knowledge series. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Elissa Gershowitz

(4) K-3 Flip the Flaps series. Illustrated by John Butler. Information is presented in large print with simple pictures illustrating very broad concepts (e.g., "Sometimes the weather is stormy," "Earth is where we live"). Between each double-page spread is a half-page flap with three questions; readers lift the flaps to discover answers beneath. The lifted flap also completes the left-side picture, showing, for example, Earth's inner layers. The approach is visually appealing. Ind. Review covers these Flip the Flaps titles: Planet Earth and Weather.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(4) K-3 Flip the Flaps series. Illustrated by Nicki Palin. Information is presented in large print with simple pictures illustrating very broad concepts (e.g., "Sometimes the weather is stormy," "Earth is where we live"). Between each double-page spread is a half-page flap with three questions; readers lift the flaps to discover answers beneath. The lifted flap also completes the left-side picture, showing, for example, Earth's inner layers. The approach is visually appealing. Ind. Review covers these Flip the Flaps titles: Planet Earth and Weather.

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(3) K-3 Brief information about primary-level science and mathematics topics are found on double-page spreads accompanied by illustrations and diagrams. Additional text boxes with vocabulary definitions, typical questions and answers, scientist profiles, and simple activities are included. The book is divided into five content areas: Numbers and Shapes, How the World Works, The World of Materials, Living Things, and Space (NB: the geosciences are shortchanged). Ind.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford

(4) 4-6 Scientists Who Made History series. The books in this series capably introduce their subjects, including Marconi's experiments with wireless communication and Franklin's discovery of the structure of DNA. Short subdivisions are illustrated with photos--most relevant and some gratuitous--and other art; sidebars offer direct quotations and expanded explanations, many clear and a few insufficient. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Scientists Who Made History titles: Dian Fossey, Guglielmo Marconi, John Logie Baird, Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Faraday, and Rosalind Franklin.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Scientists Who Made History series. The books in this series capably introduce their subjects, including Marconi's experiments with wireless communication and Franklin's discovery of the structure of DNA. Short subdivisions are illustrated with photos--most relevant and some gratuitous--and other art; sidebars offer direct quotations and expanded explanations, many clear and a few insufficient. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Scientists Who Made History titles: Dian Fossey, Guglielmo Marconi, John Logie Baird, Leonardo da Vinci, Michael Faraday, and Rosalind Franklin.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Scientists Who Made History series. Each formulaic book in this series begins with a defining moment in the life of its subject, from Pasteur's impromptu use of his rabies vaccine on a young boy to Bell's first successful telephone call. The following chapters briefly chronicle the lives of these scientists. Illustrated with photos, reproductions, and maps, each book includes diagrams, boxed quotes, and a timeline. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these titles: Louis Pasteur, Marie Curie, Galileo Galilei, Isaac Newton, Thomas A. Edison, Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Charles Darwin.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman