This series offers curriculum-enhancing ideas for practicing scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills. Each of these “Super Cool Science Experiments” titles uses hands-on experiments and activities to demonstrate a wide range of topics, encouraging readers to ask and answer questions about how things work. Each title begins with an explanation of the scientific method, then offers detailed, step-by-step instructions students can use to conduct experiments that use familiar, real-world examples. Instructions are accompanied by colorful diagrams, illustrations, and photos so that older students could carry out many of the experiments on their own. This series compiles a substantial number of practical classroom activities into a collection that is user-friendly and encourages creativity and critical thinking.

Glossary. Recommended.

Jennifer MacKay, Senior Content Editor, American Book Publishing, Salt Lake City, Utah

[Editor’s Note: Our reviewer did not see the title on soil included in the series.]

This visually appealing series encourages readers to explore the world around them. Each volume introduces its overarching concept and discusses the scientific method and the steps involved in using it. Then, six experiments each include an introduction to the principle being explored, questions to think about, a hypothesis, a materials list, step-by-step instructions, and a conclusion. Along the way there are reminders to record observations, and some additional questions to consider. Colorful splashes contain additional details. The books end with ideas for additional experiments. A note of caution: some of the activities include potentially dangerous materials such as ammonia or nails.

SLJ Fall 2009 Series Made Simple