BRAINS ON! PRESENTS...ROAD TRIP EARTH

The three hosts of the award-winning science podcast Brains On! invite young readers to tag along as they journey to the center of the Earth.

In their state-of-the-art minivan (reminiscent of Joanna Cole’s Magic School Bus), the authors travel across land and water and into the air to investigate “remote realms.” For each trip, they pack helpful tools and snacks appropriate to their destination. Chapter by chapter, they explore the Earth’s layers and tectonic plates; deep-sea wonders and “the wide world of water”; sand, soil, and land formations; and, finally, the atmosphere, weather, and outer space. The chatty, informally written text invites readers to enjoy their discoveries. Children may groan at the cheesy jokes, but their attention will be held by the lively visual presentation that includes panels, mystery photos, graphic sidebars, and more. Recurring “Break It Down” text boxes unpack some scientific terms. Food metaphors and wordplay abound, aiding retention of facts and concepts. The often amusing cartoony illustrations, rendered digitally, feature caricatures of the three apparently White podcast hosts. Other characters with varying skin tones occasionally appear. As a broad overview of earth science, this works, though more knowledgeable readers may find it more of a smorgasbord than a four-course meal. The backmatter includes a list of relevant podcast episodes, a selected bibliography, and an index. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Facts and fancy combine for a planetary road trip to remember.