From Booklist Suplee's reader-friendly picture book takes a cleverly lighthearted and unfailingly effective approach to science by explaining such diverse phenomena as gravity, halogens, evolution, cellular structure, and perception in terms of everyday life. The illustrations, drawn from every imaginable source, including old movie stills (a scene featuring Laurel and Hardy helps dramatize inclined planes), sports photography, cartoons, and aerial views as well as original diagrams and drawings, set the tone and dominate every lively page spread. Suplee, science writer and editor for the Washington Post, is also a creative and vivid teacher, organizing complex material topically rather than according to formal scientific categories and mixing technical language with conversational syntax. An introduction to laser technology, for instance, begins with the line: "Getting light waves to cooperate with each other can be harder than herding cats," a disarming approach that leads to easy comprehension and makes this volume both a fine cover-to-cover read and eminently fun to browse in. Donna Seaman Product Description More than four hundred colorful illustrations and photographs highlight a comprehensive, easy-to-understand overview of modern science that encompasses such topics as Matter and Motion, Powers of Nature, Science of Substance, and the Chemistry of Life. From Amazon Anyone who thinks science is confusing or dull has not browsed through Curt Suplee's magnificent work. He explains why your shoelaces become untied (but never spontaneously tie themselves), why you don't fall on your head when the roller coaster goes loop-de-loop, and how a slice of pizza passes through your digestive system and out the other end. With 110 topics covering matter and motion, forces of nature, nutrients and fuels, and the chemistry of life, and with sensational photography and illustrations, Suplee has pulled off one of the most readable, informative, addictive, beautiful science reference books ever. From School Library Journal YA. "Living, breathing" science information that encourages readers to explore their everyday existence in new ways, to stretch their minds over wide-ranging topics from the many mysterious forces surrounding them in the wider universe to the marvelous inner structures of the human body. While browsing through cartoons and old movie scenes along with meticulous diagrams, YAs will proceed at a merry pace, encouraged to move through the kaleidoscope of chemistry, physics, and biology. Cross-references keep opening up possibilities to explore the wonders of life in an ever-widening spiral.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. About the Author Curt Suplee is a science writer and editor for the Washington Post.

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