A different angle on, and a wealth of information about, environmental issues.
How can technologies developed for space missions help us to address Earth’s problems?
Our planet is our spaceship, the authors observe; like astronauts, we must care for our resources in order to survive. Chapters on water, air, food, waste, and energy begin by explaining the issue on our planet, then look to solutions from space. Co-author and astronaut Williams—referred to as “Dr. Dave” throughout—offers anecdotes about his experiences in space. The prose is accessible, with a conversational, optimistic, and enthusiastic tone, lightened by occasional astronaut jokes and tales of astronaut ingenuity. Eye-opening graphics highlight fascinating facts, food waste stats, and “food footprints” (the equivalent of carbon footprints for what we eat). Specific examples of space technology applied on Earth, like waterless toilets, air purifiers, and hydroponic agriculture, offer hope. Each chapter ends with practical steps readers can take: turn off the tap while brushing your teeth; eat more plants; avoid single-use plastics. Suggested experiments are tailored to young scientists, who can try growing seeds on paper towels, building a simple solar distiller, or making an updraft tower. Graphics depict racially diverse people. A global perspective does not overshadow awareness that many problems, like food insecurity, are not remote but plague the United States and Canada. Budding engineers, astronauts, and environmentalists will all find a “mission possible” here.
A different angle on, and a wealth of information about, environmental issues. (glossary, selected sources, image sources, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781773217666
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
Hot on the heels of the well-received Leonardo da Vinci (2005) comes another agreeably chatty entry in the Giants of Science series. Here the pioneering physicist is revealed as undeniably brilliant, but also cantankerous, mean-spirited, paranoid and possibly depressive. Newton’s youth and annus mirabilis receive respectful treatment, the solitude enforced by family estrangement and then the plague seen as critical to the development of his thoughtful, methodical approach. His subsequent squabbles with the rest of the scientific community—he refrained from publishing one treatise until his rival was dead—further support the image of Newton as a scientific lone wolf. Krull’s colloquial treatment sketches Newton’s advances in clearly understandable terms without bogging the text down with detailed explanations. A final chapter on “His Impact” places him squarely in the pantheon of great thinkers, arguing that both his insistence on the scientific method and his theories of physics have informed all subsequent scientific thought. A bibliography, web site and index round out the volume; the lack of detail on the use of sources is regrettable in an otherwise solid offering for middle-grade students. (Biography. 10-14)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-670-05921-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006
This glossy, colorful title in the “I Want To Be” series has visual appeal but poor organization and a fuzzy focus, which limits its usefulness. Each double-paged layout introduces a new topic with six to eight full-color photographs and a single column of text. Topics include types of environmentalists, eco-issues, waste renewal, education, High School of Environmental Studies, environmental vocabulary, history of environmentalism, famous environmentalists, and the return of the eagle. Often the photographs have little to do with the text or are marginal to the topic. For example, a typical layout called “Some Alternative Solutions” has five snapshots superimposed on a double-page photograph of a California wind farm. The text discusses ways to develop alternative forms of energy and “encourage environmentally friendly lifestyles.” Photos include “a healer who treats a patient with alternative therapy using sound and massage,” and “the Castle,” a house built of “used tires and aluminum cans.” Elsewhere, “Did You Know . . . ” shows a dramatic photo of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, but the text provides odd facts such as “ . . . that in Saudi Arabia there are solar-powered pay phones in the desert?” Some sections seem stuck in, a two-page piece on the effects of “El Niño” or 50 postage-stamp–sized photos of endangered species. The author concludes with places to write for more information and a list of photo credits. Pretty, but little here to warrant purchase. (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-15-201862-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2000
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