Movement

School Library Journal

ea. vol: illus. by Kuo Kang Chen & Peter Bull. 40p. (Fun with Science Series). Warwick Pr, dist. by Watts. 1987. PLB $10.90. Gr 3-6 These books are packed with activities (experiments, tricks using sci entific concepts, and projects to make), illustrations, and simple yet accurate scientific explanations. Walpole relates Air to weight, temperature, pressure, movement and compression, weather, burning, sound, and life. In Light she explains shadows, reflection, refrac tion, sight and lenses, color, lasers, movies and optical illusion, the sun, and life. Movement covers gravity and weight, balance and the center of gravi ty, inertia, friction, slopes, wheels and gears, pulleys, levers, and pendulums, centrifugal force, and machines and movement. The activities include many familiar ones (hot air ballons, kaleido scopes, water wheels) with a few inter esting variations. Although the topics may be found in other series, such as Zubrowski's ``Messing About'' books (Little) or Wyler's ``Science Fun'' series (Messner), these books have a wide range of information in a quickly acces sible format. These simple, fun investigations could be used for a unit of study, or just for a single topic. Beverly Maffei, Horace Mann School, Mel rose, Mass.