Simple Machines

March 1, 2015

K-Gr 3-While Adler and Raff's Things That Float and Things That Don't (Holiday House, 2013) succeeded in introducing STEM principles, their latest picture book offers more confusion than clarification in its attempts to cover a variety of simple machines in a single title. The soothing, sumi ink-washed illustrations follow two children, a cat, and a lumberjack as they explore wedges, inclined planes, levers, wheels and axles, and pulleys. The screw is mentioned merely as a sidebar of inclined planes. The book lacks visual cues and headings, and readers may be caught unawares jumping from one machine to the next, especially as illustrations build upon one another. Vocabulary words are in bold, but most are never clearly defined, and the concluding sentence leaves readers hanging on a pulley: "With the pulleys, the motor in the crane needs less lifting power." Libraries will be better served by Bellwether's "Simple Machines," which covers one simple machine per title. VERDICT An attractive yet unsuccessful attempt; give this one a miss.-Jennifer Wolf, Beaverton City Library, OR

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2015
Continuing to branch out into science concepts (Things That Float and Things That Don't, 2013), the math and biography whiz tackles the elementary topic of simple machines. Using sumi ink washes that have been digitally colored and arranged, Raff's illustrations loosely follow three characters as they use simple machines: a Caucasian lumberjack dad (in faded red flannel), his blond son, and his playmate, an African-American boy with curly hair. Moving from wedge to inclined plane to lever to wheel and axle and finally to pulley, Adler presents the simple machines one by one, describing their parts and how they make work easier. He takes care to provide many examples that are sure to be familiar to readers: teeth (natural wedges!), playground equipment, a Ferris wheel, a screw, a flagpole. In addition to the machines, Adler explains friction. Terms in boldface stand out from the rest of the text, but there is no glossary or any backmatter at all to summarize or review the information presented; the absence is felt, especially since the book seems to just stop-there's no closure. Still, this is as solid a look at simple machines as any that exists outside of dry textbooks, and at least readers can imagine a narrative for the two young boys. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

April 15, 2015
Grades K-2 What do a slide, a flagpole, and a tricycle have in common? They illustrate principles of physics relating to simple machines: an inclined plane, a pulley, a wheel and axle, a wedge and a lever. The emphasis in each description is that simple machines make work easier. An inclined plane can be a simple ramp, a winding road leading to the mountain top, or a screw. The wheel and axle of a tricycle is shown next to the more complex Ferris wheel. Children will be drawn to the depictions of the machines in familiar situations such as turning on a water faucet or playing on a seesaw. The charming illustrations, featuring children, adults, and even a cat, enhance the impact of the message by depicting a small community going about their lives and using simple machines to make work easier.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2015
"A gear is a wheel with teeth. Gears can change the speed, power, and direction of a machine's work." With the help of a seen-but-not-heard cat and a collection of children, this book gives accessible examples of the simple machines of the title, such as seesaws, faucets, and construction cranes. Pastel illustrations are lively and friendly, with just enough detail.

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)