Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 1. This new entry in the Science Play series begins with a practical page for parents, urging them to gather the simple materials needed for the gravity exercises before beginning to read aloud to their children. The main text encourages kids to experiment with gravity by tossing different objects into the air and observing the comparative speed at which they fall and the force with which they land. Using white space well, the digital illustrations offer clearly defined images with a distinctive, retro look. Their eye-catching pizzazz will help hold the attention of the audience, but the book's real purpose will actually take place outside its pages. Attuned to the learning style of young children, Cobb's questions and suggestions offer kids the experience of the scientific process rather than the drone of simplified information. The text ends rather abruptly, but along the way it offers many chances for learning through play. --Carolyn Phelan Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Another winner from the author and illustrator of I Face the Wind (2003) and I See Myself (2002, both HarperCollins). This book tackles the subject of gravity. The language and sentence structure are simple, but the concept is never oversimplified. Using the same format as in the previous titles, Cobb presents a series of experiments for parents and children to do together, allowing youngsters to explore, discover, and then return to the text to have that learning reinforced. The clean lines and crisp colors in Gorton's graphic illustrations have lots of child appeal, and the creatively sized and colored typography further amplifies each concept. For example, when the text suggests that youngsters allow a spoonful of molasses to dribble back into the jar, the words, printed in a brown font, stretch, swirl, and descend accordingly. A refreshing and welcome addition to science collections.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Preschool) This latest entry in the Science Play series again creates opportunities designed to help young children understand their physical world. This time, the concepts center on gravity: Why do things fall down rather than up? Does everything land with the same force? What is weight? Such questions, along with age-appropriate experiments and opportunities for observation, encourage young listeners to think like scientists. Gorton's bright graphics and visual representations (the word drip, for example, threatens to slide down the page) support the precise vocabulary (gravity, force, weight), and well-designed page breaks allow youngsters to pause and consider the concepts introduced. Best of all is the sense of joy, particularly highlighted in the rollicking illustrations, with sentences bounding across the pages; they reinforce the concept that there is wonder in even the most everyday of occurrences. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
