Editorial Review

Arranged, roughly, in order of complexity, the demonstrations in these volumes are also clearly laid out, with simply phrased directions matched to clear color photos or photorealistic images followed by questions about what young experimenters have observed (e.g., “Which push made the ball travel farthest—a roll, a throw, or a kick?”). Cartoonlike figures help elucidate the steps. Each volume closes with explanations of expected results and suggestions (with more questions) for related activities, plus brief glossaries (that contain pronunciation guides) and an up-to-date resource list. Though there are just seven projects per volume, some—such as Dirt’s leadoff, which asks children to list the ingredients in a shaken jar of soil and water—are more challenging than they seem. By and large, this set offers informative, easy-to-achieve insights into selected principles of physics and chemistry.