From Booklist
Teachers and parents are virtually interchangeable as primary audiences for Square Wheels, the second book in the Exploratorium Science Snackbook series. Based in part on exhibits at San Francisco's famous touch-me museum, these 31 projects will capture the attention of kids (and the zeal of their elders) by using household materials and easy-to-follow directions to demonstrate scientific principles. In fact, the authors produce more than just illustrated how-to text; expect short bios of famous dead and living scientists, variations on experiments, references, the "meaning" behind the demonstration, and the level of difficulty, among other topics. "Hoop nightmares," for instance, illustrates the assembly of prism glasses and explains the effect of light at different angles, underscoring the ease of adaptations made by the eyes and other human senses. One wishes that such engaging experiments had been employed in earlier school days. Barbara Jacobs
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
