Tell Me Science and Inventions

Science & Inventions is a quick compendium of general knowledge for curious kids. Spiral bound with light cardboard pages, side tabs categorize information as inventions, the earth, space, and everyday phenomena. Each page poses a question and provides a two- to four- sentence explanation. Publisher marketing lists the book as for ages eight to twelve, but the ultra-short answers might be better suited for six to eight year olds. Each question has a brightly colored cartoony illustration to go with it.

The topics in the book have a broad range, and some of the questions tend toward the gross (“Why is poop brown?”), but these are exactly the kind of questions kids want answers to. There are also more scientific questions such as, “Is there an atmosphere on Venus?”

Any child who reads this book will get fun, fact-filled tidbits about the world around them. More like a trivia book than an actual introduction to the concepts, it should pique kids’ interest and give them a broad knowledge base of snippets about their world. Overall, a fun book.