Eyewitness: Energy [Hardcover]

Jack Challoner (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: DK Eyewitness Books

Discover the amazing story of energy -- where we can find it and how we can make the most of it.

Here is a spectacular, thought-provoking, and highly informative guide to the fascinating story of energy. Superb full-color photography of original equipment, intricate scientific instruments, 3-D models, and revealing experiments bring to life the ideas and discoveries that have changed our perception of the universe. See plants that bend toward light, alternative energy in action, the first batteries, the food chain, photosynthesis in plants, and how telephones convert the human voice into electronic signals. Learn how energy is measured, how without energy there would be no life at all, why matches burn, why recycling makes the most of energy, how waterwheels work, how efficient light bulbs save electricity, and how geothermal energy creates hot water. Discover the link between friction and heat, the development of steam turbines, how magnets work, how to make air liquid, how to heat coal to produce gas, the difference between renewable energy sources and fossil fuels, why sugar gives you energy, and much, much more.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...a mini museum between the covers of a book. [Eyewitness series] -- The New York Times

These books' striking visual impact will draw in even the most casual readers. [Eyewitness series] -- School Library Journal

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (March 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789455765
• ISBN-13: 978-0789455765
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,321 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating presentation of information about energy, April 9, 2009

By 

Judy K. Polhemus "Book Collector" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Eyewitness: Energy (Hardcover)

Note: To offset Amazon's surely accidental double posting of a 2-star review that pulled down the rating of this fine Eyewitness book about "Energy," I'm awarding five stars (which I would have done anyway).

Eyewitness Books are simply among the finest books for children, including "Energy," written by Jack Challoner. He begins with the most fundamental (yet fascinating) summary of energy: "Without energy, there would be nothing... Energy is everywhere, and energy changing from one form to another is behind everything that happens. Energy, defined as the ability to make things happen, cannot be created. Nor can it be destroyed" (6). If you find that perplexing and intriguing, please join me for a cup of coffee and let's discuss it.

Challoner takes his young readers (9-12) through muscle energy, fire, wind and water, potential energy, movement, heat, electromagnetism. Then he explains Joule's discovery that energy: "cannot be created or destroyed, it can only change in form. This idea is known as the conservation of energy" (24).

The use of energy is another study: communication, electromagnetic waves, mass energy, nuclear energy, photosynthesis, energy from food, fossil fuels, and a special look at alternative energy.

The origins and destiny of energy concludes the book. Think about this summary: "The Universe is not infinitely large, but it seems to have begun with a 'Big Bang,' in which a fixed amount of energy came from nothing. Some scientists say that this fixed amount of energy is available for only a fixed amount of time, and that one day the Universe will be squashed out of existence in a 'Big Crunch' (62).

It could happen tomorrow. I hope not. Meanwhile, I'll still be trying to understand everything in this children's book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Energy, January 7, 2009

By 

Nancy Lindberg (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Eyewitness: Energy (Eyewitness Books) (Library Binding)

The book is excellent. The service from Amazon wonderful and my grandson culdn't be happier. Thank you.

3 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars We're not as smart as we'd like to think, November 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Eyewitness: Energy (Hardcover)

In the introduction Challoner writes that ancient people did not understand energy and an understanding of energy has only emerged in the past several hundred years. This is innacurate. People who still live ancient indigenous lifestyles often have a very sophisticated understanding of energy that is in fact far more functional than that of many modern people. While we often use energy indiscriminately without realizing the source of the energy of our food or our fuel, ancient people and those who still live in ancient ways are far more conscious of the energy they consume and where it comes from. Because they live in the ecosystems from which their energy comes, they have no choice but to use it responsibly, unlike "advanced" civilizations. The book may have plenty of accurate information about energy, but there is no need to introduce it with the myth that "advanced" cultures are superior in wisdom to ancient ones. I don't critique this because it is offensive, but because it is dangerous. Modern people must relearn what was once known by everyone: that if we don't understand our resources and use them wisely, we will have to live in the mess we create.