Basher Science: Physics: Why Matter Matters (Paperback)

by Dan Green (Author), Simon Basher (Illustrator) "The original absent-minded professor with his crazy hair and even crazier ideas, Albert Einstein was a superstar..." (more)
Key Phrases: light crew, Atom Family, Old School

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 4–8—This follow-up to Adrian Dingle's The Periodic Table (Kingfisher, 2007) introduces the elements of physics as anthropomorphic, cartoon-style characters. "You could say that these forceful fellows are the ones that really matter." They are grouped by associations: "Old School" (mass, weight, density, etc.), "Hot Stuff" (energy, entropy, etc.), "Wave Gang" (sound, frequency, etc.), "Light Crew" (radio wave, microwave, etc.), "Atom Family" (proton, electron, etc.), "Nuclear Heavies" (radioactivity, alpha particle, etc.), and "Electric Cuties" (static electricity, electric current, etc.). Each of the groupings begins with an introduction and each concept is given its own spread that shows the cartoon figure and describes its "personality." The information is presented in a chatty and conversational tone. For example, Blackbody Radiation is described as "a ninjalike shadow who swallows and slays the Light Crew." Along with the narrative, which is written in the first person from the concept's point of view, other key facts are presented. This book would be handy as a supplement to a physics curriculum.—Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Imagine physics as a community full of wacky characters--the building blocks of the universe each with a unique personality. This book throws open the doors and welcomes you into their amazing world. From gravity to the theory of relativity, this unique book provides visual interpretations of complex concepts, designed to make learning physics easier and a whole lot more fun!

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Product Details Reading level: Ages 9-12 Paperback: 128 pages Publisher: Kingfisher (April 29, 2008) Language: English ISBN-10: 0753462141 ISBN-13: 978-0753462140 Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,996 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) #1 in  Books > Children's Books > Series > Intermediate Readers #11 in  Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Physics #25 in  Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Fiction

Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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First Sentence:
The original absent-minded professor with his crazy hair and even crazier ideas, Albert Einstein was a superstar Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
light crew

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Atom Family, Old School

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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	72% buy the item featured on this page: Basher Science: Physics: Why Matter Matters 4.7 out of 5 stars (9) $8.99
	12% buy The Basher Science: Periodic Table 5.0 out of 5 stars (17) $8.95
	7% buy Basher Science: Astronomy: Out of this World! 5.0 out of 5 stars (3) $8.95
	6% buy Biology: Life as We Know It! 3.8 out of 5 stars (4) $8.95

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9 Reviews 5 star:  (6) 4 star:  (3) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to physics old and new..., June 25, 2008 By  K. K. Barre (Reseda, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    My six year old plowed through this book in one afternoon... he knew he'd love it because the Periodic Table version is an old favorite. The information is clear, concise, and engaging, the pictures appealing to my little Pokemon fan. I love that we had a whole discussion of strong vs. weak force at dinner last night. Not really a textbook, but a fantastic introduction to physics for kids who read well on thier own. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars science with a personality, May 14, 2008 By  delzey (new england) - See all my reviews "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein Yup, that just about sums up what's going on here, proving the Einstein's smaller theories were pretty solid as well. The physical world and its inhabitants are once again anthropomorphed and grouped by association. We get the Old School dudes (Mass, Weight, Density, &c.), the Hot Stuff (Energy, Entropy...), the Wave Gang (Sound, Frequency...), the Light Crew (Radio, Microwave...), and so on. It's all here, each aspect with its own spread, a first-person breakdown on the one side and a graffiti-like cartoon portrait on the other. There's also a "first discovered" box and a short historical list of how or when they were famously employed. As with Basher and Green's previous book "The Periodic Table: Elements With Style," I think this book works best in the classroom as a supplemental text (though used correctly they could be primary) with wide appeal. A great introduction for budding young scientists to the basics of physics, a playful refresher for older young scientists, and an easily digestible crash-course for adults who need the background to keep up with their budding young scientists. 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars great little guidebook!, January 17, 2009 By  Lorel Shea "gifted ed editor at bellaonline.com" (New England) - See all my reviews    I have good news for fans of the quirky kid's guide to chemistry, "The Periodic Table, Elements with Style". Kingfisher Publishing has produced two related books, which cover biology and physics. The artist known simply as Basher has teamed up with a new writing partner, Dan Green. These pocket sized guidebooks are captivating and make a real impression on kids. Because the books are formatted in the same way, I am reviewing them together. Both books have about 120 pages plus a glossary. The left hand page usually has a topic, a few bullet points on it, and two paragraphs presenting information from the point of view of the topic. Each subject has it's own personality and the right hand page has a personified illustration of that subject. In the Biology book, Sperm, for instance, says, "I'm a little guy with a big job." For those who wish to consider the appropriateness of the books for younger children, he does get a bit more specific. "I Start out in one of the two testes, a man's sperm factories, and travel upstream towards the penis... If everything is going swimmingly, I enter a female body and it takes an hour or so to get to Egg." The whimsical cartoony illustration shows a smiling tadpole-like creature wearing sunglasses. There is also a tiny, simplified 1" tall rendering of the male reproductive system. The information on Egg and Baby in Womb is also quite simple but may be upsetting to some. "Biology, Life as We Know It" also contains a small pull out poster of the body systems. Some examples of other topics in the biology book include Skin, Nails, Reptiles, Liver, and Flower. The physics book is titled, "Physics, Why Matter Matters" and it has definitions of terms like Kinetic Energy, Frequency, Alpha Particle, and Gravity. The introduction notes, "Physics is all about knowing -or trying to find out- what makes the universe tick. It started out with some naturally nosy people who wanted to know..." The description of Force says that it, "Gangs up with Mass and Acceleration to push things about." Infrared boasts, "You can run but you can't hide. I'm the original heatseeker and I'm out to give you a good grilling!" These books might help older students memorize details just as well as they inform and entertain younger children. Highly recommended!		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 4.0 out of 5 stars Rocket Physics This book will provide an excellent foundation for children. This book broke things down to the simplest form possible and my 3 year old like it a lot. Published 3 months ago by Jari 5.0 out of 5 stars Very Cute & Educational! I purchased this book for me and my 12 year old daughter. We loved it so much that I purchased another 1 for my sister's family. Read more Published 4 months ago by bigsupermonkey 5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book My son is 12, and he is a bookworm. He is also interested in science. I saw this book, and I thought that it would make a perfect stocking stuffer for him. Read more Published 5 months ago by V. Nettles 5.0 out of 5 stars Kids Xmas present Good product to help my kid in school, as a Chemistry major I liked the depth and scope of this product and the manner in which it relates the material to younger audinces! Published 6 months ago by Michael Barnett 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic for the Classroom I teach 5th grade and my students are in love with these books as well as The Periodic Table: Elements with Style. It makes it easy for them to understand. Read more Published 10 months ago by N. M. Smiley 5.0 out of 5 stars Another Science Hit! The only drawback to this book is the fact that now my 6 year old knows what alpha particles are and I have no idea. Read more Published 13 months ago by Mother and reader Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Kingfisher (April 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0753462141
• ISBN-13: 978-0753462140
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 7.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #21,996 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Children's Books > Series > Intermediate Readers
  #11 in	Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Physics
  #25 in	Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to physics old and new..., June 25, 2008

By	K. K. Barre (Reseda, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My six year old plowed through this book in one afternoon... he knew he'd love it because the Periodic Table version is an old favorite. The information is clear, concise, and engaging, the pictures appealing to my little Pokemon fan. I love that we had a whole discussion of strong vs. weak force at dinner last night. Not really a textbook, but a fantastic introduction to physics for kids who read well on thier own.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars science with a personality, May 14, 2008

By	delzey (new england) - See all my reviews

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Albert Einstein

Yup, that just about sums up what's going on here, proving the Einstein's smaller theories were pretty solid as well. The physical world and its inhabitants are once again anthropomorphed and grouped by association. We get the Old School dudes (Mass, Weight, Density, &c.), the Hot Stuff (Energy, Entropy...), the Wave Gang (Sound, Frequency...), the Light Crew (Radio, Microwave...), and so on. It's all here, each aspect with its own spread, a first-person breakdown on the one side and a graffiti-like cartoon portrait on the other. There's also a "first discovered" box and a short historical list of how or when they were famously employed.

As with Basher and Green's previous book "The Periodic Table: Elements With Style," I think this book works best in the classroom as a supplemental text (though used correctly they could be primary) with wide appeal. A great introduction for budding young scientists to the basics of physics, a playful refresher for older young scientists, and an easily digestible crash-course for adults who need the background to keep up with their budding young scientists.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great little guidebook!, January 17, 2009

By	Lorel Shea "gifted ed editor at bellaonline.com" (New England) - See all my reviews

I have good news for fans of the quirky kid's guide to chemistry, "The Periodic Table, Elements with Style". Kingfisher Publishing has produced two related books, which cover biology and physics. The artist known simply as Basher has teamed up with a new writing partner, Dan Green. These pocket sized guidebooks are captivating and make a real impression on kids. Because the books are formatted in the same way, I am reviewing them together.

Both books have about 120 pages plus a glossary. The left hand page usually has a topic, a few bullet points on it, and two paragraphs presenting information from the point of view of the topic. Each subject has it's own personality and the right hand page has a personified illustration of that subject. In the Biology book, Sperm, for instance, says, "I'm a little guy with a big job." For those who wish to consider the appropriateness of the books for younger children, he does get a bit more specific. "I Start out in one of the two testes, a man's sperm factories, and travel upstream towards the penis... If everything is going swimmingly, I enter a female body and it takes an hour or so to get to Egg." The whimsical cartoony illustration shows a smiling tadpole-like creature wearing sunglasses. There is also a tiny, simplified 1" tall rendering of the male reproductive system. The information on Egg and Baby in Womb is also quite simple but may be upsetting to some. "Biology, Life as We Know It" also contains a small pull out poster of the body systems. Some examples of other topics in the biology book include Skin, Nails, Reptiles, Liver, and Flower.

The physics book is titled, "Physics, Why Matter Matters" and it has definitions of terms like Kinetic Energy, Frequency, Alpha Particle, and Gravity. The introduction notes, "Physics is all about knowing -or trying to find out- what makes the universe tick. It started out with some naturally nosy people who wanted to know..." The description of Force says that it, "Gangs up with Mass and Acceleration to push things about." Infrared boasts, "You can run but you can't hide. I'm the original heatseeker and I'm out to give you a good grilling!"

These books might help older students memorize details just as well as they inform and entertain younger children. Highly recommended!