The Brain Our Nervous System by Seymour Simon

Did you know that your brain is roughly the size of a large grapefruit? Award-winning author Seymour Simon clearly and skillfully exposes the many wonders of the brain and nervous system in The Brain: Our Nervous System. Simon shows how ours brain control every move of our body. The brain plays an important part in our body.

Excerpt:  Wiggles your toes. Scratch your nose. Take a deep breath and yawn. Decide which your favorite food is. Try to remember the last time you ate it. Count the number of words in this sentence. Think about what you would like to do tomorrow. Then cup your hands around your head and feel the bones of your skull. Inside your skull is your brain. Your brain is the control center for everything you do. Each second, millions of signals pass through your brain, carrying all kinds of messages. They bring news about what your body is doing and feeling. Your brain examines the messages produces thoughts and memories, and then plans what to do next. Signals go out from your brain to other parts of your body to enable you to read, run, laugh, breathe, say hello to a friend, or turn to next page this book. Try it!

Marie Curie by Kathleen Krull

Marie Curie is popularly known as the scientist who discovered radium, but she was much more than that, and by reading this book you’ll find out not only about her fascinating personal life, but also her amazing scientific work.  Here’s an excerpt from the introduction:

 

With radium, Marie didn’t just make a stunning contribution to medicine.  In experimenting with elements that are radioactive—a word she coined herself—she fostered a greater understanding of the nature of matter. 

 

The atom:  that building block of all matter.  Since ancient times, the atom was believed to be unchangeable, indivisible, the absolute smallest thing that exists.  But Curie’s work paved the way for other scientists to investigate what went on inside it.  She spurred the discovery of subatomic particles that make up atoms.  Ultimately, her work made possible the development of the deadliest weapon in history—the atom bomb.  How she would have hated knowing that!

 

Here’s a taste of her personal life:

 

This was a woman men threatened to fight duels over, someone so passionate about science she used nine exclamation points to indicate an experiment going well.  Her life story involved broken love affairs, death threats, juicy scandas,, great losses, and especially a fierce struggle against the restrictions of nineteenth-century society.  All her life she dealt with “No Girls Allowed” signs.

Albert Einstein by Kathleen Krull

Here’s an excerpt from the introduction of this book that will give you a feeling for the style and content:  Einstein certainly had his charms.  He became king of the snappy sound bite, always bemused, sort of cuddly, with soulful eyes.  And quite rightfully, his name has become a synonym for genius.  His work in physics, the science that studied the behavior of objects in motion, was revolutionary. 

 

In this book, you’ll learn about Einstein’s early life (his family was always very supportive of him, even after he quit school a number of times), his marriage to Mileva Maric, a fellow physics student, and eventual divorce, and his many, many hours spent pondering questions like How does the universe work? and What is the speed of light?  What makes this book so wonderful is that it creates a portrait of Einstein the man (one thing you will learn is that he was very selfish) and also explains his theories in simple terms.  The writing is also delightful.  Here is another excerpt from the introduction:

 

He wasn’t afraid to fail, and he was vigilant about finding and fixing his mistakes (He did make them).  Long after he’d become an icon, a celebrity genius, he ruefully confessed “I am no Einstein.” 

Recycling by Sue Stewart

What will we do when there is nowhere to put our garbage?  Every day, all over the world, people drop cans, boxes, paper and bottles into bins and never think about them again.  And the garbage mountains get bigger and bigger.  In this book you’ll learn about the materials that can be recycled, and how.  Clear explanations, photographs, and a glossary make the subject interesting and easy to understand.

 

Excerpt:

 

Steel and aluminum can both be recycled many times, and unlike paper, they always stay strong.  What do other countries do?  Most countries recycle metal.  But in some countries, like Senegal, people are good at reusing metal.  In small villages old cans are washed and used as drink containers.  Some people know how to use empty cans to make bowls for the kitchen or children’s toys.  In Afghanistan the Taliban government did not allow people to buy satellite dishes for their TVs, so people made their own out of old oil containers.

Climate Change by Barnaby Newbolt

Climate change is an issue that affects all of us.  If climate change continues, it’s possible that Manhattan may be underwater in a decade or so.  This book will help you understand this very important issue.  Clear explanations, illustrations and photographs will help you understand how earth’s climate system works, what causes climate change, and what the effects will be.  A helpful glossary at the back will help you with words that you don’t know.

 

Excerpt:

Sudden change can happen in many ways.  Here’s one example.  There is a lot of ice in Greenland, and it is melting.  If lots of cold fresh water comes into the North Atlantic, it will slow down the Gulf Stream.  And when this happens, the Gulf Stream will stop carrying heat to Europe.  This has happened before, a long time ago.  If it happens again, it would mean very low temperatures for Europe—the opposite of a heat wave.  We could see frozen rivers and icy streets in Europe, and it could happen soon.

Shake, Rattle and Roll: the World’s Most Amazing Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Other Forces by Spencer Christian and Antonia Felix

Where do “killer clouds” come from?  What causes the birth of an island?  Can cockroaches really predict an earthquake?  Join Spencer Christian as he unearths the mysteries of volcanoes, tornados, and other natural events.  Find out what makes the earth quake.  Discover what volcano covered an entire city with over four feet of ash.

 

Excerpt

 

The force of an earthquake in deep water can create a tsunami up to 35 feet high and these giant waves travel at incredible speeds.  When an earthquake occurs far from land, seismologists can warn residents in coastal areas of an approaching tsunami.   But when an earthquake happens near the shore, there isn’t time for a warning.  On July 12, 1993 a major earthquake struck off the coast of Hokkaido the northernmost island of Japan.  In less than five minutes, this very powerful quake caused a 100-foot-high tsunami to crash ashore, killing 180 people.

Weather and Climate by Alvin Silverstein, Virginia Silverstein and Laura Silverstein Nunn

Every day, billions of people all over the world make plans according to the weather—what to wear, when to hold outdoor activities, whether to prepare for dangerous storms.  You’ll learn so much about our planet and its weather by reading this book.  Did you know that the wind makes the weather?  Do you know what the jet stream is, and how it was discovered?  What is air pressure?  Why do your ears pop when you ascend and descend in an airplane.  When it is more likely to rain or snow, when clouds are low in the sky or high?  You’ll never take the weather for granted again after reading this book!

 

Excerpt:

 

In World War II, American planes on a bombing mission to Tokyo,Japan climbed to an altitude of 30,000 feet (about 5.7 miles—more than 9 kilometers) to avoid Japanese antiaircraft fire.  Suddenly the fliers found their planes zooming along at 450 miles per hour, far faster than any plane had flown before.  They had picked up a tailwind that was blowing more than 150 miles per hour.  These winds were named jet streams, and their paths were mapped.

What’s Physics All About: by Kate Davies

If you ever thought the idea of YOU learning PHYSICS was crazy, then this is the book for you.  With clear explanations and helpful illustrations, this book will help you understand a wide range of physics topics.  You’ll learn about speed, motion and mass; about forces like gravity and pressure—electricity, heat, light and sound—it’s all here!  While you read, you will learn the answers to questions that may have occurred to you from time to time.  For instance, why is it harder to stop something heavier that is moving fast than something lighter?

 

Excerpt:

 

What’s momentum?

Momentum is a measure of how forcefully something is moving in a particular direction.  If something has a lot of mass (such as an elephant), it’s hard to start it moving because the amount of mass weighs it down.  But once it is moving the mass and the velocity it is moving at make it even harder to slow down, or steer, than it was to get it going in the first place.

What’s Chemistry All About? By Alex Frith and Dr. Lisa Jane Gillespie

After you read this book, you will know a lot about chemistry and the way the universe is put together.  And you probably will have enjoyed yourself too.  Why?  This book is not like any other science textbook you may have read.  There are subittles and colorful drawing to illustrate the concepts.  More important, the concepts are explained in a clear, easy-to-understand way.  Read on and learns what atoms are and how they are structured, how elements make up everything that exists, how chemical reactions take place, and much much more.

 

Excerpt

Most substances aren’t elements—they’re compounds or mixtures.  The reason compounds exist is all to do with the electrons in a substance’s atoms.  When two or more atoms collide, they may just bounce off each other.  But sometimes, a few electrons are transferred from one atom to another.  This changes the atoms and makes them bond together.  That’s how compounds are made.

Nitrogen by John Farndon, from the Element

Everything in the universe is made of elements.  This series looks at the most important chemical elements and explains where they can be found, how they were discovered, their special characteristics and reactions, and their importance in the body and everyday life.  Understanding how the elements behave is the key to understanding chemistry.   The Elements provides a fascinating and fact-filled introduction to this important subject.

 

Excerpt:

Nitrogen compounds are used in a variety of ways.  English chemist Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) was the first person to make nitrous oxide.  Later, another scientist, Humphry Davy (1778-1829) studied the gas.  When Davy breathed the nitrous oxide, he laughed and danced around the room.  The main use of nitrous oxide is as an anesthetic.  Doctors and dentists use it to send to sleep during operations so that the patients feel no pain. Nitrous oxide works quickly, and its effects wear off rapidly so it is easy to use.