A guided tour of a nuclear power plant, packed with color photos of futuristic machinery. A wide range of subjects is covered in short sections: nuclear energy and radiation; the processing of uranium ore; the design of a reactor and the ways in which fission is controlled; the layout of the control room and the plant's safety features; the complicated process by which nuclear energy is converted into electricity; the problem of nuclear waste; and the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl accidents. The book never stops moving forward in the flow of information: lively formatting, large full-color pictures and diagrams, and brief chapters make it a quick and easy read. The information it contains is occasionally superficial, e.g., Wilcox spends half a page discussing how cool water cools hot water— ``This works in the same way that cold hands absorb the heat from a cup of cocoa''—but doesn't explain why water ``does not boil because it is kept under pressure.'' On the whole, however, the book casts light on what goes on inside a building most readers will never have the chance to visit. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 5-10)
Pub Date: June 7, 1996
ISBN: 0-87614-945-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Several different kinds of illusions (physiological illusions, e.g., afterimages; physical illusions, e.g., the result of refraction or reflection; perceptual illusions, e.g., ambiguous pictures; etc.) are explored in this large full-color volume that contains more than the 101 examples of the title. Jennings includes directions for making a number of demonstrations and optical toys. The explanations are cursory at best—Seymour Simon's The Optical Illusion Book (1984) is still the standard—but this is an attractive introduction to the subject for those who want the ``wow'' without the ``why'' in any great detail. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 7-10)
Pub Date: April 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-8069-9462-2
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1997
A charming interracial group of young children set out one Saturday to climb a local mountain. When they stop to rest, some 4,000 feet above the town, they find a fossil of an animal which lived millions of years ago when the mountain was the bottom of an ancient sea. That stimulates a discussion of how mountains are formed: folded, fault-block, dome, underwater ranges, and cone- shaped. Zoehfeld (What Lives in a Shell?, 1994, not reviewed, etc.) presents plenty of good basic information in this Stage 2 Let's- Read-And-Find-Out Science title. The colorful illustrations add appeal, but the shifting perspectives may confuse literal-minded readers. In one picture, children rest on the hill; in another, they shift the eight huge plates that make up the earth as if they were puzzle pieces. A little explanation will go a long way, though, and Zoehfeld and Hale's affection for the subject comes through on every page. (Nonfiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: May 30, 1995
ISBN: 0-06-024509-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1995
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