It's Elementary!: How chemistry rocks our world [Hardcover]

Robert Winston (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0756626668 | ISBN-13: 978-0756626662 | Publication Date: July 30, 2007

Following in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed and award-winning science bestsellers What Makes Me?, Can You Feel the Force?, and Go Figure!, this engaging book takes an in-depth look at the magical world of chemistry and sprinkles it with elements of fun. AUTHOR BIO: Johnny Ball is the host of several popular British TV shows. His shows and videos have won 12 awards, including a New York International Emmy nomination, the ITV "Presenter of the Year" Craft Award and a BAFTA. He is the author of DK's Go Figure!

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book has everything I need... This is amazing The Guardian --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Robert Winston is a practising consultant at Hammersmith Hospital, London and world leader in the field of human fertility research. A popular author and broadcaster of TV programmes such as Human Mind and the award-winning Human Instincts, he is also Professor of Fertility Studies at Imperial College, London and has been at the forefront of social and ethical issues in science. Sir Winston was Chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology. He lives in London. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: DK Publishing (July 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756626668
• ISBN-13: 978-0756626662
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #831,374 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Approach for the Intended Age Range, January 14, 2010

By 

amanooensis (Flyover Country) - See all my reviews

This review is from: It's Elementary!: How chemistry rocks our world (Hardcover)

First: this is a great book. Well-conceived, well-written, well-illustrated. But that's an adult's viewpoint. When asked to describe it, our nine-year old said it was "Pretty awesome!"

Our kid has generally been interested in science, but only recently discovered Chemistry and this crazy thing called the Periodic Table. We wanted to encourage exploration in this direction, but it seemed that most books meant for this age range (roughly 8-12 I'd say) were either too dry, or too babyish.

An example of the baby approach is (in my view) the "Basher" book, in which individual chemicals are depicted in cartoon form as little characters with distinctive faces. I think that distracts from the main focus. This one (the Winston book) manages to be fun, too -- but is less distracting and more comprehensive.

It covers the topic from several angles. For example, it offers a very thorough history of Chemistry as a field of human inquiry, going back to early mankind, through the Greeks, alchemists, Mendeleyev, etc. up to the modern era. This section is colorful and interesting to read. Most importantly, it helps the reader understand how civilization came to understand this Science. I think this is very useful in helping the young reader see Chemistry as something to be figured out -- not something that arrives on a platter, fully-formed and never changing.

There is thorough treatment given to the Periodic Table and different classes of elements, to chemical reactions, and so on. Basically, it is a very good book to get a child in this age range interested, informed, and motivated. And it will help them to understand many other fields that have a chemical connection, like biology, ecology, physics, and so on. So even if they don't pursue Chemistry any further, this book can be useful to them.

The lower age range for this book will mostly depend on the child's personal reading level, and interest in the subject. I think 9-10 is probably the "sweet spot" but judge for yourself in the preview. As for the upper age range, well, even adults might find it entertaining and informative.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST First Chem Book, October 19, 2009

By 

TucsonShopper (Tucson, Arizona) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: It's Elementary!: How chemistry rocks our world (Hardcover)

I'm shocked I'm writing the first review for this book since it's clearly head and shoulders above the rest. It's lively (lots of pictures) without being silly (others have either less appeal or talk down to the reader). Plus, it's a hardcover (others are paperback for the same money). My fifth grader was at once glued to this book and he kept coming downstairs to exclaim, "Did you know... !" It's a shame school work doesn't get him so excited - so, here is a substitute. Next is an Elementary Algebra text (many schools use Jacobs' book, but it seems too big/expensive).

1 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's Elementary!, December 19, 2009

By 

John G. Coffey (Garland, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: It's Elementary!: How chemistry rocks our world (Hardcover)

I can save this book until when the granddaughter is old enough to read at the level of details given in the book.