Top critical review
3.0 out of 5 starsA book that seems like it is for younger children but is actually for older kids
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2016
My six year old son loves science and asking questions and wanted to know why some combinations of chemicals cause explosions and others do not. When he was four we bought a standard laminated periodic table and mentioned to him many of the more well known elements, but he wanted to know more by the time he reached six. After seeing good reviews for this book, we thought we would take a look at it, and ordered it.
The book came just fine and then we opened it. Things started out well with an outline of the periodic table and the first element Hydrogen, but then they decided to mention the elements according to their electron state and reactivity. So instead of moving to Helium next, they decided to list the alkali metals next (like lithium, sodium, potassium). That is all fine and good for a chemist (chemists and chemical engineers tend to group elements by free electrons or reactivity) but for a small child (that this book is aimed at), they begin to wonder what is the pattern, which means that the parent then needs to explain about outer electron shells and reactivity. The language level of the book is also fairly high and I would guess it is about the fifth to seventh grade level. Once again totally bypassing most five through ten year olds who might want to read the book on their own without the help of a parent. My small son who loves big words and a challenge decided to dive in but the book could certainly convey the same information but lower the language level so that more children could enjoy the book.
Overall, because of those minor headaches, I am giving the book three stars. It is certainly filled with good information but any inquisitive child below middle school age will quite likely need the help of an educated parent or a local chemistry teacher or professor to make the most of the book. It is by no means a bad book but it could certainly use some polishing to appeal to its main audience, elementary school kids.
