Gotcha!

June 1, 2003
Gr 1-3-These titles teach scientific principles through interesting stories with child-pleasing themes. The title character in Clever Trevor figures out a way to outsmart the playground bullies by using a fulcrum and lever. In Gotcha!, a camper uses a magnet to cause things to happen that scare his friends. Each easy-to-read book ends with an activity page. Cartoonlike illustrations feature a multiethnic group of characters. Useful books that provide instruction along with entertainment.-Anne Knickerbocker, formerly at Cedar Brook Elementary School, Houston, TX

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2003
Reviewed with Gail Herman's "Buried in the Backyard."

K-Gr. 2. Part of the Science Solves It! series, these two lively stories encourage young readers to "think like a scientist" by observing closely, measuring carefully, asking questions, and making predictions. In Dussling's book Peter plays a practical joke on his friends and then reveals how a magnet helped him pull it off. His friends then use what "they" know about magnets to play their own joke on Peter. In Herman's book, Ryan gets his sister, Katie, excited about woolly mammoths when they uncover a gigantic bone in their backyard. They take the bone to the museum and the scientists come and dig up a woolly mammoth skeleton in the yard. Illustrated in full-color, both books combine a contemporary story and lively dialogue with hands-on facts. Notes in small type on each page and a final page of easy suggestions will help adults talk about the science with kids. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)