Solids, Liquids, Gases and Plasma | Book Review

★★★★

4 Stars | Children's | Non-Fiction | Educational | Science

This book is intended for 4-8 year olds. Some of the material it covers could be used as an intro for the younger children with parents using the hands-on learning provided in the book to help further explain the concepts. While some of the other materials covered are for older children, touching on things my son is currently learning in 5th grade and still struggles to comprehend. With this blend of beginner concepts and older ones in the same book, some of the writing is aimed at the younger reader but then uses words for older kids that a parent has to try to explain for their younger child this book is supposed to be targeted towards. Here's a couple examples: 
      "Matter is everywhere. Matter is anything that takes up space...Books, shoes, and footballs are matter too." (Simplified)
     "The molecules that make ice and other solids are bound together. (Bound? A younger child would understand 'stuck together' better)
         "Most matter can change states...For aluminum to melt - to change to a liquid - it must be just over 1,220 degrees Fahrenheit. Its liquid form will change to vapor at about 4,480 degrees Fahrenheit." (Even some adult have difficulty comprehending these types of temperatures, perhaps even leading to further questions, that can't be answered easily, if at all. So how can we explain this to a child? The author would have done better just leaving it at water becoming a vapor since that could be an in-home experiment to further cement the information being taught.) 
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While the illustrations themselves were okay, I generally liked the information since it is still relevant and even included a short bit about plasma. Though, I personally would prefer to choose a different book that covers the chosen topic a bit better for the age bracket it is intending to educate.

Some parts are for younger children, others are not

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