Angela Royston

I really need this book to educate myself about all the parts of various trucks and construction machinery, so I can talk to my toddler grandsons. It's very informative and comprehensive, with clear illustrations and explanations.

It's also rather time limited and by the time they're in Grade III, children may have outgrown it. But it's perfect for the littles.

Say the name Sir Isaac Newton and most folks will either say inventor of the of the fig newton, or say that old guy who had something to do with gravity and apples. The former is definitely wrong, Fig Newtons are a cookie making process invented and then patented by a Philadelphia baker and fig lover Charles Roser in 1891. The product was named "Newton" after the city of Newton, Massachusetts.
The later is only partially correct. Yes Sir Isaac Newton did write the mathematical formula's show more which describe gravity. Newton did much more to help the advancement of science and create the scientific method which is still used today. Newton had the keen eyes and mind of an observer of life and its multifaceted phenomena. He was able to translate his observations into math which is the chief language of science. This book tells the story of Newton warts and achievements in way that is accessible to everyone. Written for children the short 48 page biography gave me a basic understanding of the man his peers and rivals, and his life and times. The book is an excellent starting place for further study. Targeted for children the book has an extensive vocabulary and index. show less

This informational book about volcanoes surprised me when I first opened it up and even more when I had finished. I was not expecting there to be so much detailed information since it is a fairly small book with thick, cardboard like pages.
One thing that I really liked in this book were the events that the author explained. Such as a volcano spontaneously appearing on a farmer's land over night in 1943 and the formation of a volcanic island in 1963.
I also really enjoyed how the information show more was presented. Instead of long paragraphs the information is given in small portions that look like pieces of scrap paper or clips from a news paper for example. The different forms of media make the book eye catching.
Lastly this is a great informational book because it is interactive. There are hidden pop-ups that the reader can view by pulling a tab. This book also has a glossary in the back and labeled pictures for the visual learner. show less

I liked this book and found it very informational. The main idea of this book is to teach the reader about magnetic and nonmagnetic materials and different uses for magnets in everyday life. The first thing I liked about the book was its text features. The table of contents, headlines, labeled pictures, and glossary all help the reader learn. For example, page 8 shows a picture of several different metal items. Each of the items is labeled with the type of metal (aluminum, copper, iron, show more etc.) This text feature helps the reader identify the different kinds of metals since they would be difficult to know based on the pictures alone. The second thing I like about this book is the organization. The way it flows just makes sense. For example, the book discusses nonmagnetic items after it talks about magnetic items. It would not have made sense if nonmagnetic items were talked about first because the reader wouldn't understand the context of the information being presented. show less