Science Starter

"Science Starter" represents an introductory work on science for the young reader. Children, I would think, would find this book accessible; their parents can use this as a resource to help their children begin to get intrigued by the world of science. This is another volume in the Time-Life series, "A Child's First Library of Learning." The format is posing a question and then answering it. Each question and answer sequence takes about two pages. Then, at the end of the book, are some activities that are designed to provide a more active learning environment. The first question, to illustrate, is "What is it like inside the earth?" An interesting way of generating some interest in geology. The answer speaks to (a) the crust, (b) the mantle, and (c) the core. As with other questions, there is a little sidebar, "To the Parent," that provides parents some additional information to give them context and--maybe--to use this in speaking with their kids. Or cosmology, the study of the origins and evolution of the universe. On pages 40-41, the question is about as big as it gets: "How and when did the universe start?" The book's answer notes that the origins are about 20 billion years ago. The Big Bang and expanding universe concepts are elaborated upon. On another dimension, we see science applied to sports: "Why does a tennis ball curve if it is hit with a slicing motion?" The focus is the serve and what happens if you use top spin or a flat serve. The material on pages 56-57 also explains why the tennis ball actually curves. As notes earlier, the volume closes with some active learning components. For parents who want to get their kids interested in science, this isn't a bad starting point, even though the work is somewhat older now.