The Way Things Work by Macaulay, David (1988) Hardcover

This book is one of my fondest childhood memories- not only are there interesting descriptions of the way various machines work, but there are insights into space, magicians acts and the great pyramids. All "widgets" are represented by woolly mammoths, creating a fun "count the woolly mammoths" game for kids to play while learning about a certain topic. Never dry, even the cover inspires imagination with is whimsical use of simple machines to spell out the title. A great book to have and to keep.

Whether you are a mechanical engineer or a philosopher, The Way Things Work will teach you everything you want to know about a wide variety of modern devices. The art is beautiful, technically correct, and humorous. Buy it for your children AND for yourself.

Anyone with children in their life, or a child-like heart will enjoy this book. It is not just for kids, but it answers many of the questions that only kids think to ask. How do toilets flush, what makes zippers zip, and sewing machines sew? How do seat belts work? What about submarines and airplanes? The book begins with simple machines and works up to complicated ones. For older children it can be a useful homework reference. But this is more than a reference book. The drawings and explanations are not only clear, they are entertaining. Throughout the book there is a series of ingenious vignettes describing the interaction of wooly mammoths and machines. Mammoths dressed in hot air balloons. Mammoths functioning as computers (answering questions by dropping the appropriate number of logs, which gets cumbersome.) The result is a book that can be a marvelous bedtime story or mid-afternoon browsing book, as well as a reference book for those awkward questions. Kids as young as three or four will enjoy some parts of this book, while adults will still be intrigued by some of the explanations. This is a book for teachers, parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles to have on their shelves, both to answer questions and to encourage them.