Anne Rooney

Vaccinations aren’t just painful shots. They are immunity against deadly diseases. Vaccinations have been used since the 18th century. In 1796 a British doctor came up with the idea of vaccinations. At first he used pus from the hand of a milkmaid to create his vaccine against smallpox. In the 10th century the Chinese blew grounded up scabs up your nose! These solutions may sound gross, but they were on to something. These vaccines build up your immune system against viruses.Vaccines are show more very important because they help your body fight back.

I always dread doing non-fiction Library Things. But, this book was a quick entertaining read. They used good information, but they also used interesting info too. Learning about the Greeks, Chinese, Egyptian, and British’s journey on fighting sickness was very interesting. I also learned about cells! This connects to my previous learning in science. I recommend this book to anyone interested in vaccinations, history, or who just wants a fun and quick read! show less

Science: 50 Essential Ideas, by Anne Rooney, is a simple and straightforward book that serves as an excellent introduction to some basic scientific concepts.

This book is not, and doesn't set out to be, an in-depth look at these ideas. This volume can serve many purposes. The first that come to mind for me are an introductory text for young readers (ideally with parents/guardians reading with them) and as an overview for those who just want a better understanding of science in general.

For any show more reader this can act as a jumping off point for whatever concepts intrigue them. While not having a bibliography each entry has key words and names that can be used to search online or in a textbook. From there, the possibilities are endless.

I would certainly recommend this for anyone wanting to have a basic intro to important science ideas, whether for themselves or their children. I also think those of us with education in the sciences can benefit from having a book that makes us step back and see these concepts from a general perspective, we can often get bogged down in whatever specific areas we like and lose the bigger picture that first sparked our interest. We can then, one hopes, share that excitement with others.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Math! explains how math has shaped everyday life throughout history and shows why the world simply wouldn’t function without it. The book takes students through real-world examples, from shopping and cooking to engineering and technology, that highlight where and when math influences daily decisions. The intended audience is upper elementary and middle school readers. Academic vocabulary such as fractions, measurement, calculations, and data is embedded. show more The book teaches real-world math, and can support instruction by giving students background knowledge before new lessons. It would be a meaningful addition to the classroom library because it helps students see math as relevant and essential. show less

Neuroscience by Anne Rooney is a nice historical overview of what has led us to our current understanding of neuroscience.

This particular volume in the Fundamentals series is light on where we currently stand in the field but very good in the debates and experiments that have informed our progress. While one comes away with a good idea of what we know in the bigger picture there is very little focused information that really helps a reader understand today's debates a lot better

That said, show more this historical overview does establish a good foundation for those wanting to learn more and points to various topics for deeper dives. In this way it can serve the lay reader quite well.

If you want to know more science than is here there are certainly plenty of books that offer simple explanations and, I know from taking them, there are some wonderful MOOCs available on the subject. This book combined with other books and/or MOOCs will give an excellent basic understanding.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less