Forces: Physical Science for Kids
Forces Physical Science for Kids from the Picture Book Science series gets kids excited about science!
"Forces, despite its down-to-earth scientific grounding, manages to do the nearly impossible. Diehn brings gravity, magnetism, push-pull forces, and friction to life in everyday contexts, without a hint of schoolroom jargon." - Booklist (Starred Review)
What keeps us stuck on the ground? What makes magnets come together? What makes one team win during a game of tug of war? Forces!
Our world operates the way it does because of forces. Gravity, magnetism, pulling and pushing forces, and friction are some of the many forces that affect the way we move on Earth.
In Forces: Physical Science for Kids, kids ages 5 to 8 are encouraged to observe and consider the different forces they encounter on a daily basis. By recognizing this basic physics concept and identifying the different ways it is demonstrated in real life, kids develop a fundamental understanding of physical science and are impressed with the idea that science is a constant part of our lives and not limited to classrooms and laboratories. Simple vocabulary, detailed illustrations, easy science experiments, and a glossary all support exciting learning for kids ages 5 to 8. Perfect for beginner readers or as a read aloud nonfiction picture book!
Part of a set of four books in a series called Picture Book Science that tackles different kinds of physical science (waves, forces, energy, and matter), Forces: Physical Science for Kids pairs beautiful illustrations with simple observations and explanations. Quick STEM activities such as rubbing surfaces together to produce heat and testing the properties of magnets help readers cross the bridge from conceptual to experiential learning and provide a foundation of knowledge that will prove invaluable as kids progress in their science education
Perfect for children who love to ask, "Why?" about the world around them, Forces satisfies curiosity while encouraging student-led learning.
Picture Book Science presents real-world examples of physical science and engineering topics kids find fascinating! These nonfiction picture books consist of engaging narratives paired with brightly colored, whimsical illustrations drawn by an accomplished scientist. With these books, readers ages 5 to 8 are encouraged to expand their definitions of the words "force," "matter," "energy," and "wave." Elementary-aged children are equipped to recognize basic science concepts and identify the different ways they are demonstrated in real life, while being impressed with the idea that science is a constant part of our lives and not limited to classrooms and laboratories.Titles in the series include: Waves; Forces; Matter; and Energy.
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Andi Diehn is the author of Explore Poetry! With 25 Great Projects, Technology: Cool Women Who Code, and Shakespeare: Investigate the Bard's Influence on Today's World for Nomad Press. She lives in Enfield, NH, with her family.
Shululu (Hui Li) has always been driven by curiosity. She received a PhD in computational chemistry from the University of Chicago. Her research has been published in the world's most influential science journals, including Science and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. She is devoted to bringing joy and science to young readers through fun illustrations! She lives with her husband in New York, NY.
--D.B. Johnson, author of Magritte's Marvelous Hatand Henry Hikes to Fitchburg
"With a light touch and kid-friendly questions, Andi Diehn leads the reader to a more nuanced understanding of their world and the science behind it, from being 'forced to clean your room, ' to the force gravity exerts when you jump from a tree ('Don't jump out of trees!' Ms. Diehn warns)."
--Jess Keating, author of Pink is for Blobfish: Discovering the World's Perfectly Pink Animals and Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist
"With lively illustrations and conversational, upbeat text, this series shines!"
Booklist March 15
STARRED REVIEW
Forces, despite its down-to-earth scientific grounding, manages to do the nearly impossible. Diehn brings gravity, magnetism, push-pull forces, and friction to life in everyday contexts, without a hint of schoolroom jargon. Discussion of the forces arises naturally by inquiring what happens in a variety of situations. The tone of the book is set with an opening poem, then moves to the idea of forcing something to happen or be done, and only then reaches the scientific concept of forces. The action of each force is presented simply, clearly, and naturally. Gravity holds everything together. Magnetism also holds things together. Friction makes things slow down or stop. Helpful examples involve jumping (the author warns, "Don't jump out of trees!"), fridge magnets, tug-of-war, pushing a swing, and-several times in the book-a pet lizard. Shululu's illustrations add to the fun, giving the book a storybook quality. Children, parents, and teachers alike can enjoy learning the charming, often funny, relatable, and accessible science within this Picture Book Science series (4 titles) offering.
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine
"Science books are always a big hit around here. During our normal read aloud time each day, it's guaranteed that at least one of them will be science-based. Given that I am reading to two first graders, a preschooler, and an 18-month-old, our choice in science books is typically picture books.
Nomad Press has some great ones to offer. We received the Physical Science for Kids Set for review. The set includes four books: Forces, Waves, Matter, and Energy. All four softcover books are 28 pages long with a one-page glossary at the end of the book. They're all fully illustrated and just plain fun to read and look at.
Each of the books gives sound scientific concepts in easy to read and understandable terms. They're relatable, funny, and get the kids thinking. The books are written for children ages 5-8, but children older would enjoy them too.
Forces addresses gravity, magnetism, push/pull forces, and friction. Those might seem like big concepts, but when you read the book, even my preschooler can explain why she falls down sometimes- gravity!
"There are forces that make us stick to Earth. There are forces that make your soccer ball fly into a goal. There are forces that make your soccer ball roll to a stop before it even gets to the goal!"
See? Relatable, story-like information that really gets the kids thinking. Several times after reading Forces the kids pointed out different types of force that happened in everyday life.
The Physical Science for Kids Set has been a wonderful addition to our home library. The books are simple enough for everyone to understand yet contain enough scientific truth to be considered a science resource. They are written in a way that makes them great read alouds, and simple enough that my 7-year-old can confidently read them."
Unleashing readers.com
"Young children have so many questions about the world and how everything works. Curiousity runs wild in their brains, but more than anything they just want to learn and absorb. This series is a must get for parents, classrooms, and libraries because it addresses many of the questions that kids have."
The 50 Best Science Books for Kids 2018
PsySci.co
This is yet another book in the amazing new series called Physical Science for Kids. It is aimed at children from the age of four onwards, explaining to them some of the physical forces though entertaining everyday examples and simple language.
To add to the fun, there are also some great age-appropriate experiments so that children can see and feel for themselves how forces work in their life.
Finally, as in other books in the series, the text is accompanied by colorful illustrations that keep the kids' eyes glued to the pages - well, at least until they run-off to conduct some of the experiments.
