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
Few writers have quite the handle Markle (Pioneering Frozen Worlds, p. 138, etc.) does on how kids think about science. For those who want to know why a dead fish floats or whether a warm worm stretches farther than a cold one, she provides brief puzzles, explanations, and simple experiments using household items to help explore these questions and more than 30 other icky science topics. The ideas are more appropriate for casual experimentation than for science fair projects; the explanations are brief, and there are seldom suggested follow-up activities. There's no obvious order to the presentation, and sometimes the text is more teasing than truthful: Children stretch a warm gummy worm, not a real one; ``Blow Up a Marshmallow!'' instructs readers to put a marshmallow in the microwave for 30 seconds and watch—hardly earthshaking. Not an essential purchase, but it has definite child-appeal. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: April 18, 1996
ISBN: 0-7868-1087-4
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is a true tale of a boy who befriended the aviation pioneers and who was the second person to fly in their original glider. No one believes Tom, a Kitty Hawk resident and reputed storyteller, when he claims to have met two men from Ohio who are planning to fly through the air. The scoffing does not subside when Tom truthfully states that he flew the glider. Over the years, the Wright brothers make trips to Kitty Hawk, each time refining their machine, until the successful 1903 flight—and Tom is always there to witness it. This entry in the I Can Read Chapter Book series seems just right for new readers: Tom's presence makes the historical incident more accessible. The tale, with its limited vocabulary, doesn't allow for much character development, but has enough inherent drama to overcome the format. Bolognese's pictures add an old-fashioned touch, with a refreshingly simple palette that warmly evokes the era. (Fiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1997
ISBN: 0-06-024503-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1996
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