Best Science, Nature & How It Works Books for 9 Year Olds

Here are the top 30 science, nature & how it works books for 9 year olds. Please click Read Review to read book reviews on Amazon. You can also click Find in Library to check book availability at your local library. If the default library is not correct, please follow Change Library to reset it.

1. Howtoons: The Possibilities Are Endless!

by: Saul GriffithJoost BonsenNick Dragotta
Release date: Oct 23, 2007
Number of Pages: 112
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Part comic strip and part science experiment, Howtoons shows children how to find imaginative new uses for common household items like soda bottles, duct tape, mop buckets, and more-to teach kids the “Tools of Mass Construction”!

Howtoons are cartoons that teach 8- to 15-year-old readers “how to” build, create, and explore things. Combining a fun, full-color cartoon format and real life science and engineering principles, Howtoons are designed to encourage kids to become active participants in the world around them.

Readers meet Tucker and Celine, a lovable brother and sister pair. Sick of watching TV and playing video games, Tucker and Celine decide to conquer every kid’s nightmare: the dreaded summer o’ boredom. Armed with countless ideas for fun projects, they set out to reclaim the sheer joy of playing. Fifteen practical, build-it-yourself projects are weaved into the Tucker and Celine storyline. With the narrators’ help and clear step-by-step instructions, young readers will learn how to set up a workshop, create a marshmallow shooting gun, make ice cream without a freezer, play songs on a turkey baster flute, explore a homemade terrarium, launch a pressure-powered rocket, and more!

Utilizing inexpensive, kid-friendly materials, Howtoons will prove that the world at large is infinitely more exciting than anything happening on the TV or computer screen. Plus, each project will provide readers with practical skills and problem solving know-how that they can use in their everyday lives. These funny, interactive Howtoons are sure to inspire independence and creative savvy in young people everywhere.

tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Friendship, Social Skills & School Life > Social Skills

2. DK Eyewitness Books: Robot

by: Roger Bridgman
Release date: Mar 01, 2004
Number of Pages: 64
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Take a detailed look at the fascinating world of robots – from the earliest single-task machines to the advanced intelligence of robots with feelings. Young readers will be amazed to learn all that robots can do: perform delicate surgical operations, clean city sewers, work as museum tour guides, or even battle each other in combat. Find out how humans have created these mechanical minds and bodies.
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Heavy Machinery

3. The Coolest Cross-Sections Ever!

by: Richard PlattStephen Biesty
Release date: Sep 01, 2001
Number of Pages: 128
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A unique collection of amazing views of the world by Stephen Biesty. Machines, ships, buildings, and the human body as you’ve never seen. This unique collection of extraordinary illustrations by artist Stephen Biesty explores machines, building, ships, and even the human body from the inside out. From the Grand Canyon to the Space Shuttle, Biesty’s amazingly detailed cross-section views take you right inside to reveal how things work or how things are made. See how a 14th-century castle holds up against a siege, and what life would have been like inside a World War II submarine. Learn how 18th-century warships battled on the high seas and what life is like on a space station. Discover how everyday things are made, from false teeth to Formula 1 racing cars and what holds up to the Empire State Building. Author and illustrator team Richard Platt and Stephen Biesty’s first collaboration Incredible Cross-Sections went straight to the top of the best-seller list.
tags:

Children’s Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Architecture

4. Sabrina, the Girl with a Hole in Her Heart

by: Wendy LewisDiane Lucas
Release date: Aug 01, 2011
Number of Pages: 34
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Sabrina, a 10 year old girl from a rural village in Zanzibar must decide whether to leave her family and fly to a faraway place for a surgery that could save her life. But who are these doctors? They are not from my country, she thinks, as she tosses and turns in her sleep. This contemporary story is based on the work of Save a Child’s Heart, an Israeli-based organization of volunteer doctors, nurses, and others who have saved the lives of over 2,600 children of all faiths from all four corners of the world. Children who are aware of medical issues in their own families or have been hospitalized will relate to Sabrina’s journey. Real pictures of an echocardiogram, a heart-lung machine, and communication boards as well as fun, hands-on science activities will appeal to both boys and girls. Multicultural, humanitarian, and science themes are beautifully woven throughout this story. For teachers and librarians, this book ties into classroom curriculum on the human body/heart.
tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Health > Diseases

5. Crazy Concoctions: A Mad Scientist’s Guide to Messy Mixtures

by: Jordan D. BrownAnthony Owsley
Release date: Feb 01, 2012
Number of Pages: 80
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Making a mess is generally frowned upon, but if you are learning important scientific principles and creating cool science experiments, then the mess will have to be excused. Within the pages of this diabolically genius book is a collection of experiments that kids can do at home. They may make a mess, but they are fun, easy, and educational.
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Chemistry

6. Exploratopia: More than 400 kid-friendly experiments and explorations for curious minds

by: The Exploratorium
Release date: Oct 04, 2006
Number of Pages: 384
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From physics to forensics, from the largest clouds to the tiniest ants, from Issac Newton to elephant dung, “Exploratopia” overflows with things readers can explore using the simplest, everyday items, such as eggs, paper clips, soda bottles, vinegar, and plastic cups. Kids will love these innovative activities and will have fun learning all at the same time.
tags:

Children’s Books > Literature & Fiction

7. Mythbusters: Confirm or Bust! Science Fair Book #2 (Mythbusters Discovery Channel)

by: Samantha MarglesMichael Massen
Release date: Dec 01, 2012
Number of Pages: 128
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Even MORE myths to bust…in the safety of your own home!

Do you have what it takes to be a MythBuster? Confirmed!

Kid-friendly and age appropriate, this fun follow-up book to the successful MYTHBUSTERS SCIENCE FAIR BOOK is packed with more than 30 brand-new experiments for school and at home. Follow the book’s step-by-step simple instrcutions, and you’ll be able to bust or confirm myths just like Adam and Jamie on the popular MythBusters TV show from the Discovery Channel.

tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Experiments & Projects

8. Bridges and Tunnels: Investigate Feats of Engineering with 25 Projects (Build It Yourself series)

by: Donna LathamJen VaughnJenn Vaughn
Release date: Jun 01, 2012
Number of Pages: 130
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Exploring the innovation and physical science behind bridges and tunnels, the activities and projects in this book encourage children to learn about the design and construction of these amazing passageways. This fun and educational reference uses hands-on projects to explain complex concepts, such as Newton’s Third Law of Motion, while trivia and fun facts illustrate engineering ingenuity and achievements. The activities engage kids in the important skills involved in engineering-including designing, building, and modeling-and teach the value of trial and error as they create several bridge models. Activities include making an egg bungee jump, a soda pop can engine, and a triangular toothpick dome, as well as experiments with liquefaction and corrosion.
tags:

Children’s Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Architecture

9. Journey into the Deep: Discovering New Ocean Creatures (Nonfiction – Grades 4-8)

by: Rebecca L. JohnsonSylvia A. Earle
Release date: Nov 01, 2013
Number of Pages: 64
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Have you ever wondered what mysteries the ocean holds? Prepare to explore the ocean from sunlit shallows to the deepest, darkest depths. Along the way, you’ll meet many incredible creatures that are brand new to science.

Dive to a coral reef and spot a new species of pygmy octopus. Travel deeper and discover fragile, nearly transparent jellies as they drift past. Then head down into a world of eternal night. You’ll encounter animals that make their own light and zombie worms that feast on the bones of dead whales.

Your adventure is based on the real journeys of scientists involved in the Census of Marine Life. From 2000 to 2010, more than two thousand researchers from eighty-two countries carried out the most extensive investigation of ocean life ever attempted.

Author Rebecca L. Johnson takes readers to research sites around the globe, showing how ocean scientists do their work. Stunning photographs throughout bring readers face-to-face with some of the most mesmerizing creatures on Earth.

“When you pick up an animal and realize that what you are looking at is something no one else has ever seen-a species that as yet has no name-it’s humbling and also quite thrilling.”

-Joel Martin, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Fish

10. Out of Sight: Pictures of Hidden Worlds: Pictures of Hidden Worlds

by: Seymour Simon
Release date: Mar 01, 2002
Number of Pages: 48
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Here, in thirty-six amazing images, you can see the unseeable-the delicate splash from a falling drop of water, a gigantic nebula in distant space, and many other natural wonders. The astonishing photographs and fascinating explanations take readers on a fantastic voyage that is truly out of sight.
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Anatomy & Physiology

11. Birds: Nature’s Magnificent Flying Machines

by: Caroline ArnoldPatricia J. Wynne
Release date: Jul 01, 2003
Number of Pages: 32
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Hovering, gliding, diving — how do birds do it? BIRDS: NATURE’S MAGNIFICENT FLYING MACHINES looks at how feathers, body structure, and wings vary from bird to bird. Readers will learn the mechanics of bird flight from takeoff to landing and discover how wing types meet the survival needs of each species. Popular science writer Caroline Arnold infuses this informative look at avian flight with her love of birds. Patricia J. Wynne’s exquisitely detailed illustrations show these amazing creatures in action.
tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Birds

12. The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs: A Scientific Mystery (Nonfiction – Grades 4-8)

by: Sandra Markle
Release date: Nov 01, 2013
Number of Pages: 48
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Panamanian golden frogs aren’t just cute, little, and yellow. They’re also the national symbol of Panama. But they started to disappear about fifteen years ago. What’s killing them? Could it be a change in their habitat? What about pollution? Might it be a result of climate change? Follow a team of scientists working to save these frogs and protect frog populations worldwide in this real-life science mystery.
tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Reptiles & Amphibians

13. Dear Wandering Wildebeest: And Other Poems from the Water Hole (Nonfiction – Grades PreK-4)

by: Irene LathamAnna Wadham
Release date: Aug 01, 2014
Number of Pages: 32
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Welcome wildebeest / and beetle, / Oxpecker and lion. / This water hole is yours. / It offers you oasis / beside its shrinking shores.

Spend a day at a water hole on the African grasslands. From dawn to nightfall, animals come and go. Giraffes gulp, wildebeest graze, impalas leap, vultures squabble, and elephants wallow. Irene Latham’s gorgeous poems are accompanied by additional facts that provide further details about the animals and their environment. Imaginative illustrations from Anna Wadham complete this delightful collection.

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals

14. Nature Got There First: Inventions Inspired by Nature

by: Phil Gates
Release date: Jun 08, 2010
Number of Pages: 64
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Birds conquered the air long before the Wright Brothers, the burrs on plants are uncannily similar to velcro fastenings, rattlesnakes have an alarm system, bats and dolphins have their own form of sonar… Nature is full of amazing designs and ‘mechanisms’ that appear to have inspired the engineering and technology we use today. Nature Got There First by Dr. Phil Gates shows you how and why.

tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Biology

15. Kids Making a Difference for Animals (ASPCA Kids)

by: Nancy Furstinger
Release date: Mar 01, 2009
Number of Pages: 108
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Kids just like you are making a difference in the lives of animals every day. They’re rescuing homeless pets, raising money for shelters and charities, making jewelry and holding bake sales to support animal-friendly causes, volunteering their time to educate others, and so much more. You’ll be inspired by their courageous and compassionate stories, and you’ll learn what you can do to help make the world a better place for our furry and feathered friends.

Loaded with lots of color photos and friendly information you can trust, the ASPCA Kids books were written by animal lovers for animals lovers-just like you.

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals

16. Timekeeping: Explore the History and Science of Telling Time (Build It Yourself)

by: Linda FormichelliMaxine AndersonSamuel Carbaugh
Release date: Nov 01, 2012
Number of Pages: 128
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Timekeeping: Explore the History and Science of Telling Time travels through the past and into the future to explore how humans have measured the passage of time. From ancient civilization’s earliest calendars and shadow clocks to GPS and the atomic clocks of today, kids will track the evolution of timekeeping devices, meet the inventors of calendars and clocks, and learn interesting facts and trivia. Hands-on projects and activities include making a shadow clock, using a protractor to create a sundial, measuring time using water, and creating your own calendar. Kids will understand how civilization’s vague abilities to track days and months has transformed over the centuries into a sophisticated ability to keep time to the millionth of a second.
tags:

Children’s Books > History > Exploration & Discovery

17. Inventions (FAQ)

by: Valerie WyattMatthew Fernandes
Release date: Feb 01, 2003
Number of Pages: 40
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Why do people invent? How do inventors know something will work? Can children invent? Featuring the popular Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) format often used on the Internet, along with ingenious activities and fascinating facts, this book answers young readers’ questions and provides all the inspiration they’ll need to come up with some bright ideas of their own!
tags:

Children’s Books > Education & Reference > Study Aids > Children’s General Study Aids

18. The Seed Vault (Great Idea)

by: Bonnie Juettner
Release date: Aug 15, 2011
Number of Pages: 48
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The seed vault in Norway houses plant seeds from around the world to be stored in the event that the plant needs to be reintroduced into the food supply. Every great invention begins with a great idea!Read all the books in this series and learn about the history and impact of some of the most fascinating innovations and inventions of our time.Explore the idea’s early stages of development, problems encountered along the way, and how each great idea has influenced our lives.From popular culture and the environment to life-saving machines, learn about the ideas, people, and technologies that made it all happen. This series correlates with The Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (S.T.E.M.) curriculum initiative.
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Farming & Agriculture

19. The Biography of Spices (How Did That Get Here?)

by: Ellen Rodger
Release date: Jan 30, 2006
Number of Pages: 32
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Book by Rodger, Ellen
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Astronomy & Space

20. The 5 Senses: Real Science Made Easy

by: Chart Studio
Release date: Oct 14, 2003
Number of Pages: 56
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Explore, investigate and learn about our five senses in this all-inclusive educational kit! This cool package features a 56-page book filled with 50 different experiments and a glossary, a 20-page flip chart of fun facts and information, and a variety of dynamic components to complete each activity. The Real Science series has been designed to provide a hands-on approach for children and includes easy, step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations and diagrams. Some of these fun and interesting experiments include how to detect the direction and different pitches of sound, why some parts of the skin are more sensitive to pressure, how to trigger memories from odors, find your blind spot and much more!
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Anatomy & Physiology

21. Amazing Stadiums (Superstructures)

by: Ian Graham
Release date: Jul 20, 2010
Number of Pages: 32
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Superstructures focuses on amazing structures such as bridges, skyscrapers, tunnels and stadiums, describing how these incredible engineering marvels were designed and built. Each title in Superstructures is packed with WOW! facts and information and contains stunning full-colour photographs and technical drawings in an attractive magazine-style layout.
tags:

Arts & Photography > Architecture > Buildings

22. Amazing Pet Tricks (ASPCA Kids)

by: Kate EldredgeJacque Lynn SchultzCarmen BuitragoKristen Collins
Release date: Mar 01, 2009
Number of Pages: 101
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40 cool tricks you can teach your pet!

Ever wonder how you can train your dog and other pets to perform amazing tricks like the ones you see on TV? Now you too can impress family and friends with 40 cool tricks that are a cinch to master with your four-legged companions. You’ll learn how to teach the basics that every good dog should know: sit, down, come, and stay. Then you’ll move onto the classics, like shake and roll over. And if you really want to captivate your audience, you can learn more advanced tricks, like working with props and taking your show on the road to perform at schools, nursing homes, and other pet-friendly venues.

Loaded with lots of color photos and friendly information you can trust, the ASPCA Kids books were written by animal lovers for animal lovers–just like you.

tags:

Children’s Books > Animals > Pets

23. Bell and the Science of the Telephone (Explosion Zone)

by: Brian WilliamsDavid Antram
Release date: Aug 01, 2006
Number of Pages: 32
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Alexander Graham Bell was born in Scotland but spent most of his life in Canada and the United States, where he invented several devices for the transmission of sound. In 1876, after much experimentation, he developed what is generally considered to be the first practical telephone. Here is the story of the scientific ideas he mastered as he succeeded in making his working telephone.

The Explosion Zone books combine vivid color illustrations and lively text to tell the stories of important scientists and inventors. Narratives are supplemented with easy-to-understand explanations of the scientific principles that underlie each phase of the invention or discovery being discussed. Imaginatively illustrated two-page spreads include sidebars called Here’s the Science, explaining the principles of physics or chemistry that relate to the story. A glossary at the back of each book presents short definitions of scientific and technological terms.
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > How Things Work

24. Build Your Own Fort, Igloo, and Other Hangouts (Build It Yourself)

by: Tammy EnzEstudio Haus
Release date: Jan 01, 2011
Number of Pages: 32
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Everyone likes a private place where they can get away from it all. Follow the simple steps inside to build a fort, a teepee, or several other hideouts. Its easier than you think and youll have your own private hangout in no time.
tags:

Children’s Books > Arts, Music & Photography

25. CANALS AND DAMS: INVESTIGATE FEATS OF ENGINEERING WITH 25 PROJECTS (Build It Yourself)

by: Donna LathamAndrew Christensen
Release date: Apr 01, 2013
Number of Pages: 128
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Canals and Dams: Investigate Feats of Engineering invites children ages 9 and up to explore the innovation and physical science behind the amazing waterways and barriers our world depends on. Trivia and fun facts illustrate engineering ingenuity and achievements from ancient aqueducts to the Suez Canal and the Hoover Dam. Readers will discover that engineers and builders alike put their lives on the line to advance civilization, experiencing triumphs and tragedies in building big. Through dazzling success and heartbreaking failure, they developed increasingly sophisticated tools and building methods.

Activities and projects encourage children to explore the engineering process and to try, try again through trial and error. They’ll engage in hands-on explorations of buoyancy, Newton’s third law of motion, and forces that push and pull structures. They’ll create a paper-cup zip line, build an arch, and simulate a tsunami, while experimenting with gravity, hydroponics, and velocity. In Canals and Dams: Investigate Feats of Engineering, children will gain an appreciation for the important field of engineering as they develop their own building skills.
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Experiments & Projects

26. CITIES: Discover How They Work with 25 Projects (Build It Yourself)

by: Kathleen M. ReillyTom Casteel
Release date: Apr 15, 2014
Number of Pages: 128
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To a child, a city is a chaotic, vibrant community whose workings can seem quite mysterious. How did people create subways? How does the water get to the very top of a skyscraper? Is there any organization to a bustling metropolis? Cities: Discover How They Work gives kids a view into the inner functioning of urban areas. They’ll learn about all the parts that come together to make cities work and how they’ve grown and changed since the very first riverside settlements.

Fascinating sidebars, unique illustrations, Words to Know, and fun Did You Know facts combine with age-appropriate hands-on activities to make learning about complex urban environments fun and reinforce learning. Projects include creating subway cut-aways to understand how transportation systems work, building an aqueduct to learn how cities get water, and experimenting with skyscraper design and water filtration. This STEAM title, which integrates science, technology, engineering, art, and math includes a glossary, list of resources, and index.

Cities meets common core state standards in language arts for reading informational text and literary nonfiction and is aligned with Next Generation Science Standards. Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity.
tags:

Children’s Books > Education & Reference > Math

27. Charting the World: Geography and Maps from Cave Paintings to GPS with 21 Activities (For Kids series)

by: Richard Panchyk
Release date: Aug 01, 2011
Number of Pages: 144
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As soon as early humans began to scratch images on cave walls, they began to create maps. And while these first drawings were used to find hunting grounds or avoid danger, they later developed into far more complex navigational tools. Charting the World tells the fascinating history of maps and mapmaking, navigators and explorers, and the ways that technology has enhanced our ability to understand the world around us. Richly illustrated with full-color maps and diagrams, it gives children an in-depth appreciation of geographical concepts and principles and shows them how to unlock the wealth of information maps contain. It also features 21 hands-on activities for readers to put their new skills to the test.

            Children will: build a three-dimensional island model using a contour map, engrave a simple map on an aluminum “printing plate,” determine the elevation of hills in their neighborhood, draw a treasure map and have a friend search for the hidden stash, create a nautical chart of a small puddle, survey their backyard or local park, navigate a course using a compass, and much more.

            Now more than ever, the study of geography is crucial to understanding our ever-changing planet, from political change and warfare to environmental conservation and population growth.

tags:

Children’s Books > History

28. Geothermal Power (Energy at Work)

by: Josepha Sherman
Release date: Jan 01, 2004
Number of Pages: 32
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Introduces the history, uses, production, advantages and disadvantages, and future of geothermal energy as a power resource.
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Electricity & Electronics

29. Engineering an Awesome Recycling Center with Max Axiom, Super Scientist (Graphic Science and Engineering in Action)

by: Nikole Brooks BetheaPop Art StudiosMorgan HynesMarcelo BaezShannon Associates LLC
Release date: Jan 01, 2013
Number of Pages: 32
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Max Axiom has a mission. The city mayor needs a recycling center to decrease pressure on its bulging landfill. Join Max as he uses the engineering process to design and build an awesome recycling center.
tags:

Children’s Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Health > Diseases

30. Explore Electricity!: With 25 Great Projects (Explore Your World series)

by: Carmella Van VleetBryan Stone
Release date: Aug 01, 2013
Number of Pages: 96
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Serving as an introduction to electricity, this activity book explains the workings of batteries, simple circuits, conductors and insulators, motors and generators, electricity and magnetism, and the steps being taken toward more Earth-friendly electricity. Twenty-five simple projects-which include making a clothespin switch, lemon battery, compass, electromagnet, flashlight, and generating their own “lightning”-will reinforce the lessons through fun and experience, and young readers will advance their understanding of electricity further with the fun bits of trivia, sidebars, and jokes found throughout the book. Combining smart content presented in digestible chapters with engaging illustrations that flesh out explanations, the book is equal parts education and entertainment.
tags:

Children’s Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Electricity & Electronics

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