Gravity Is Bringing Me Down

by Wendelin Van Draanen, Cornelia Li (Illustrator)

Overview

Gravity becomes a very personal problem for Leda as she stumbles and tumbles through a long day.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593375921
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	01/16/2024
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD510L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

WENDELIN VAN DRAANEN is the acclaimed author of more than thirty novels. Her novels for teens include Flipped, The Running Dream, winner of the Schneider Family Book Award; Wild Bird; Confessions of a Serial Kisser; and Runaway. Her books for younger readers include the eighteen-book Sammy Keyes mystery series, winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award; The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones, winner of the Josette Frank Award; and Swear to Howdy. Van Draanen lives in California with her husband.

CORNELIA LI is a Chinese born illustrator currently based in Toronto. A self-proclaimed science nerd, she has collaborated on several science related picture books: The Trouble With Time Travel by Stephen W. Martin, and Hello, Opportunity by Shaelyn McDaniel.

Editorial Reviews

2023-12-06
Leda learns about gravity the hard way.

This cheerful tale uses Leda’s case of the clumsies to introduce the concept of gravity. The child falls out of bed, spills her cereal, trips while getting on the bus, and tips the book cart over. Gravity must be in a bad mood, she concludes. Leda’s teacher works in a hands-on lesson on how gravity keeps planets in orbit around the sun and points out that it’s also what keeps everything in its place on Earth. Still, nothing seems to go right until a trip to a children’s museum, where she climbs and slides and simulates space flight, which brings a peaceful resolution between an active Leda and anchoring gravity. The appealingly bright, textured illustrations lift this title above other STEM-themed picture books. Leda’s bedroom is filled with space-themed objects, the school playground is enticing, and the museum’s activities seem designed for an energetic child’s after-school enjoyment. A popular middle-grade writer noted for several successful fiction series, Van Draanen proves adept at conveying STEM-related info for the picture-book crowd. Very different in approach from Jason Chin’s Gravity (2014), the two books would nevertheless make an excellent pairing. Leda and her family are Asian, while the students and museumgoers are racially diverse.

An engaging flight of imagination, grounded in fact. (Informational picture book. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews

"In this funny, fresh take on a day gone wrong, Van Draanen and Li are sympathetic to their protagonist’s travails, presenting readers with the opportunity to see in resilient Leda—and themselves—that whatever gravity may throw down, they’ll rise above it." —Publishers Weekly

"This cheerful tale uses Leda’s case of the clumsies to introduce the concept of gravity. An engaging flight of imagination, grounded in fact." —Kirkus Reviews

"A perfect read for a day when everything feels wildly imperfect, this offers a stealthy combination of science and social/emotional learning." — Bulletin

"Van Draanen presents a fun exploration of gravity by making the science lesson engaging and accessible. And most everyone can relate to Leda and her clumsy day!" —School Library Journal

From the Publisher