The book of-- how?

Gr 3-5-Inquisitive students will love these eye-catching and informative titles that explain such things as how bats see in the dark and why soap makes bubbles. Each volume tackles 50 questions and answers (one per spread) on a variety of topics, with questions in large bold text and answers in a comic-book-style font. Supportive "Did you know." text boxes accompany each response, providing supplementary fun-filled facts. Children will find the silly characters in the illustrations amusing and appreciate how well they enact the subject matter. A well-organized table of contents allows readers to find the questions they want to explore. Back matter includes "Quick-Quiz Questions" and a "Tricky Words" glossary. The books will work well as supplements to Melissa Stewart's "Tell Me Why, Tell Me How" series (Marshall Cavendish), and educators can use them as trivia guides for enrichment activities in general science lessons.-Krista Welz, North Bergen Public Library, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Designed for short attention spans and impulse buys, this sourceless, authorless (Jo Connor is listed on the copyright page as originator of the concept) QA poses and answers a variety of science queries in no discernible order ("How did ancient Egyptians preserve their dead? How quickly can you sail around the world? How hot is the Sun?"), adding a tangential fact-ish aside to each. Bryant's stylish cartoon illustrations, mostly colored in green and yellow, incorporate the text in bubbles and boxes and feature a rotund little Pikachu-like creature, popeyed humanoids and the occasional animal falling, floating, bounding by or posing in a comical way. The answers range from general to simplistic ("How do things appear on TV?" rates a mention of broadcast TV only, accompanied by an image of a '60s-style console) to outright wrongno, astronauts don't float in space because Earth's gravity is too weak, as claimed in the companion Book of...Why? (ISBN: 978-0-7534-6396-3). A closing glossary and pop quiz don't make these empty calories any more intellectually nourishing. (Informational pop tarts. 8-11)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.