Tag: Waves: Physical Science for Kids

Four titles in the Picture Book Science series by Andi Diehn and illustrated by Shululu (Hui Li) coming out March 1, 2018:

Energy, Forces, Matter, and Waves will appeal to the young reader who loves to learn about words. Andi Diehn has a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing, so her approach is to make vocabulary shine. The titles start with a lively poem to introduce the topic. Next, the author shows how words can have one or more meanings in everyday usage. Finally, she exposes readers to the more specific definitions of the terminology as it is used in the physical sciences and delves into the concepts.

The creative and textured illustrations  by Shululu (the pen name of artist Hui Li) add just the right amount of fun to every page.

“Try This” sidebars with instructions for simple hands-on activities are included in each book to encourage children to explore the concepts further.

Specific details for each book:

Energy: Physical Science for Kids (Picture Book Science)

This book explains what energy is through numerous examples, such as chemical energy, heat energy, electrical energy, and light energy.

What deserves a gold star:  Encourages the reader to think about whether plants — which don’t move around — need energy, and if so, where do they get it if they can’t eat?

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Publisher: Nomad Press (March 1, 2018)
ISBN-10: 1619306417
ISBN-13: 978-1619306417

Forces: Physical Science for Kids

Readers explore the concepts of gravity, friction, and magnetism.

What deserves a gold star:  The concept that forces can work against each other.

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Publisher: Nomad Press (March 1, 2018)
ISBN-10: 1619306387
ISBN-13: 978-1619306387

Matter: Physical Science for Kids

  An opportunity missed:  On page 16, the discussion of states of matter suggests water disappears when it evaporates. A better explanation would be it changed state from liquid to a gas.

What deserves a gold star:  Air is made up of matter, even though we don’t see it.

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Publisher: Nomad Press (March 1, 2018)
ISBN-10: 1619306441
ISBN-13: 978-1619306448

Waves: Physical Science for Kids (Picture Book Science) by Andi Diehn and illustrated by Shululu (Hui Li)

Relates the physical waves that we can see to light, microwave, and radio waves.

What deserves a gold star:  Comparing the motion of a wave to a crowd in a stadium doing “the wave.” That example is an excellent way to allow children to understand that the water in a wave isn’t moving sideways across the surface, but is simply traveling up and down in place.

Age Range: 6 – 9 years
Publisher: Nomad Press (March 1, 2018)
ISBN-10: 1619306352
ISBN-13: 978-1619306356

Overall, this series would be perfect for children who are struggling to understand scientific vocabulary or wanting a quick introduction to the physical sciences.

For hands-on science activities to accompany each of the books, see our sister blog, Growing with Science.

Disclosures: These books were provided for review purposes by the publisher. I am an affiliate with Amazon so I can provide you with cover images and links to more information about books and products. As you probably are aware, if you click through the highlighted title link and purchase a product, I will receive a very small commission, at not extra cost to you. Any proceeds help defray the costs of hosting and maintaining this website.

Come visit the STEM Friday blog each week to find more great Science, Technology, Engineering and Math books.