Now You Know How It Works

Wow, the colors and illustrative graphics just pull you into this amazing book that shows just how everyday things are made and especially how they work. I loved the illustration of the zipper–just looking at those pointed teeth with the slider and that sneaky little wedge that controls everything was awesome. This makes me all set to disassemble one to check it out.

Learning that crayons are nothing more than wax combined with powdered ores and minerals…who knew? And that a lead pencil is really carbon graphite sandwiched between layers of cedar wood? These plus a myriad of other mysteries that fascinate children are tackled here, like how does a whistle work, or why does a straw draw up liquid, or how to fold a paper airplane…all this and even more puzzling devices are simply and clearly explained by word and diagram. In addition, there is a short list of abstract terms that are part of the contemporary jargon that children should know, such as energy, pressure, electricity, conductor, and others, accompanied by simple definitions with visual displays. Looking forward to the publication of a continuing edition.