Reviewed by Shannon Cde Baca
Lead Teacher/science
In any bookstore the books published by Workman Press always catch the reader's eye with their colorful covers and interesting titles. The How Come? books (adapted from the “How Come?" column in Newsday) provide fascinating leads for teachers who want to enliven a discussion of science.
How Come? Planet Earth is a book of answers to simple but surprisingly interesting questions, all of which were generated by children around the world through electronic or snail mail. They cover topics about the Earth, the human body, and animals. The last chapter of the book, “A Factory Field Trip,” explains how different materials are made, a topic that is largely taken for granted by adults as well as children.
The amount of technical information that the answers provide is somewhat limited by the reading level (although most of the text is a heavy, high school level read in dense, block type without much to break it). The web site for "How Things Work" does a better job of explaining the science. Put together, the two are a powerful tool for students who are motivated to tackle the reading.
The book shines in the first three sections: “Earth,” “Safari,” and “Bodyworks.” In these sections the author tackles questions like why a rainbow forms an arch, why electric eels are electric, what causes warts, why itches itch, and what makes our eyes the color they are. In answering each of these questions the book hits the science head on. The explanations are interesting, accurate, and full of science applications. Even though the reading level is high, I believe that kids would pull this book off the shelf for fun reading in the same way that they used to read encyclopedias. Teachers could use the questions to help teach reading, as science lesson introductions, as mini-lessons (coupled with an activity), or as discussion starters. I could see several great science assessment tasks coming out of these small questions by asking kids to explain the science of new queries using a similar format. As I reviewed the book I found myself wanting to share the stranger facts with friends. The book is a must-have for any elementary or middle level science classroom and a great gift for students and teachers alike.
Review posted on 10/17/2000
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