MicroAliens: Dazzling Journeys with an Electron Microscope [Hardcover]

Howard Tomb (Author), Dennis Kunkel (Author), Tracy Dockray (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1993 | Age Level: 9 and up

"The author welcomes readers to the world of microstructure, where the minuscule becomes gigantic. A 'mystery photo' opens the book, which is divided into topical chapters-air, water, inside the body, etc.-that present a new view of common objects, from insects to hair to cells...Fascinating."-Booklist

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-A wonderful introduction to the microscopic world. After a brief history of the electron microscope, readers are treated to 134 stunning, black-and-white photographs of an array of items-from algae to pollen to taste buds-organized by their environments. Common organisms and things found in the air, the water, the yard, the home, and inside and outside the human body are described in the concise, fascinating text. Lionel Bender's Around the Home (Gloucester, 1991) uses a similar approach and includes microscopic views of nonliving items such as fabrics and electronic gadgets. Sarah Lovett's Extremely Weird Micro Monsters (John Muir, 1993) also takes a look at microscopic animals. Those two titles use full-color photographs of slides, and seem garish in comparison to the stark clarity of MicroAliens.
Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukee, OR
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-10. The author welcomes readers to the world of microstructure, where the minuscule becomes gigantic. A "mystery photo" opens the book, which is divided into topical chapters--air, water, inside the body, etc.--that present a new view of common objects, from insects to hair to cells. Tomb's short introduction is a good overview of the history of the electron microscope and how it works. The in-text photographs are black-and-white (the dust jacket photo is the only one in color), and pen-and-ink illustrations are used to remind us what a specimen looks like to the naked eye. Although some hand-colored photographs would have been nice, this is still a fascinating look at a relatively unknown world that will inform readers without bogging them down in overly scientific text. Christie Sylvester

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (September 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374349606
• ISBN-13: 978-0374349608
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,460,060 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I enjoy travel, as you might expect from the books I've written. When I go abroad I prefer not to have a lot of plans or even hotel reservations. Many of my favorite experiences on the road -- and the ones I remember best -- have been in situations where I'm out of my element. That often leads to physical or emotional discomfort, but it's almost always worth it.

For example, the first time I set out to scuba dive with sharks, in a place called Palau in the western Pacific, I felt scared. The water was 900 feet deep and I didn't have a weapon. But when they swam lazily over to check me out, my fear turned to awe. Their incredible beauty, curiosity and caution surprised me. (Yes, I would get out of the water if I saw a tiger or great white.)

My brother and I once walked into a tough little biker bar in New Richmond, a small town in southern Ohio. Everyone stopped talking and stared at us. We're city boys; they probably thought we were lost. But we ordered Bud longnecks and shots of Maker's Mark and punched some Patsy Cline into the jukebox, and pretty soon everyone was back in conversation. Within half an hour the owner was introducing us to her daughter and we were shooting pool with the bikers, even though we didn't agree on all the rules. They found out we were people, even though we live in New York and L.A., and we were able to see them as individuals through their beards and leather.

That, to me, is the point of travel: not just to "see things" but to make the world a bigger place.

Although my travel books are meant to be funny rather than practical, my hope is that they help people appreciate other perspectives better and take themselves and their frustrations a little less seriously.