Forces Make Things Move

Children's Literature

Explaining the laws of physics to young children just got a little easier. To explain force and how it works in the world, the author uses, for example, a toy car to illustrate the push/pull of force. The same toy car explains weak force, while a full-sized car is an example of strong force. No explanation of force would be complete without including the role of friction and gravity as they affect force in the moving and stopping of things. The writing is concise and complete but never too technical for primary-grade readers. Using everyday objects as models and incorporating them into humorous illustrations, the material is covered in an engaging manner. The experiment on friction will give kids a hands-on approach and help to reinforce the concepts studied. Classroom teachers and science teachers will find this an excellent supplemental choice to support the curriculum. Part of the "Let's-Read-And-Find-Out" science series, this is a Stage 2 book. 2005, HarperCollins, Ages 7 to 9.
—Beverley Fahey

Kirkus Reviews

Simple language and appealing illustrations combine to elucidate the tricky concept of force in this solid Let's-Read-and-Find-Out offering. Bradley's narrative builds in complexity from the simple to the sophisticated to discuss reciprocal forces, friction and gravity-including a nicely comprehensible explanation of the gravitational force that exists between any two objects, not just the earth's. The reader takes the position of experimenter with a direct second-person address, using universally kid-friendly examples to illustrate Newtonian physics: "If you push a toy car, it pushes back against you with the exact same force. . . . If you push the toy car, your force makes the car start moving. So if the toy car is also pushing you, why don't you start moving? Because you are so much heavier than a toy car." Meisel's happily multicultural cartoon cast of kids puts toy cars, real cars and big brothers through a variety of scenarios, in a visually harmonious accompaniment to the text. A concluding spread introduces an activity that will allow kids to test differing amounts of friction-using toy cars, of course. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)