Now You Know: How It Works: Pictures and Answers for the Curious Mind

by Valorie Fisher

Overview

Explore the mechanics of everyday things like toasters, toilets and kites with fun and simple infographics sure to change how a reader views the world.

Valorie Fisher takes infographics to a new level with bright, colorful visuals that are perfect for young, inquisitive minds. Her eye-catching mix of photographs and illustrations compels readers to dive in and explore how things work—from paper airplanes to straws, crayons to kites, pencils to boats.

This book will answer questions kids have long wanted answers to and go on to answer questions they didn’t even know they had! Do you know why your shadow changes shape throughout the day? Do you know how a whistle makes that trilling sound? How about why a rubber ball bounces? All these questions and more are explained in this exciting book, the first of two in the Now You Know series.

With the growing focus on STEM for this early age group, Now You Know: How It Works is perfectly timed to reach that early reader and instill a love of STEM from day one.

Praise for Now You Know: How It Works

A Junior Library Guild Selection

“A bright and stimulating introduction to the mechanics and makeup of everyday objects and phenomena . . . An engaging and visually tempting starting point to prepare kids for more in-depth titles like David Macaulay’s The Way Things Work Now.” —School Library Journal

“This educational guide introduces the mechanics behind familiar objects, machines, and physical phenomena . . . Fisher introduces complex concepts concisely while gently suggesting to readers that there is a world of knowledge to be discovered in everyday things.” —Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338291070
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	08/17/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	41 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Valorie Fisher is the author and illustrator of My Big Brother and My Big Sister, both Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award winners; and Ellsworth's Extraordinary Electric Ears, called "sassy" in a starred review from Publishers Weekly. Her photographs have been widely exhibited and are in many major museum collections, including the Brooklyn Museum, London's Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris. Ms. Fisher lives in Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut, with her husband and two children.

Table of Contents

What’s inside this bookRubber BallBicycleShadowLight BulbFlashlightStrawPaper AirplaneWhistleKiteToiletGarbageBlenderPencilPencil SharpenerToasterThermometerSoapCrayonBoatPaper BoatScrewZipperWords to Know

Editorial Reviews

07/16/2018
This educational guide introduces the mechanics behind familiar objects, machines, and physical phenomena, utilizing a set of symbols presented in opening pages. Crisply presented models and charts demonstrate how a toilet, zipper, and whistle operate; how lift, weight, thrust, and drag allow a kite to fly; and how electricity flows through a lightbulb. Fisher integrates a playful element through the use of miniature objects and figures: in a spread devoted to garbage, a doll demonstrates using compost to fertilize a garden. Fisher introduces complex concepts concisely while gently suggesting to readers that there is a world of knowledge to be discovered in everyday things. Ages 4–6. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Now You Know How It Works:A Junior Library Guild Selection"A bright and stimulating introduction to the mechanics and makeup of everyday objects and phenomena." - School Library Journal"Crisply presented models and charts demonstrate how a toilet, zipper, and whistle operate ...Fisher introduces complex concepts concisely while gently suggesting to readers that there is a world of knowledge to be discovered in everyday things." -Publishers WeeklyPraise for I Can Do It Myself:* "Upbeat how-to, illustrated with close-up photographs of children and tiny plastic toys... Fisher favors eye-popping colors and buoyant patterns... From dressing oneself to mastering colors, patterns, and even making the bed, Fisher's encouraging book balances the known and the new." — Publishers Weekly, starred reviewPraise for Everything I Need to Know Before I'm Five:* "Fisher gives preschoolers a leg up on need-to-know information in this energetic collection." — Publishers Weekly, starred review"This brightly colored, lively encyclopedia is a lot of fun for the youngest readers. Amusing photographs of elementary concepts... fill each well-laid-out spread." — The Horn BookPraise for How High Can a Dinosaur Count?:* "Anyone who thinks that a math-activity book can't be fun hasn't seen this one." — School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

07/01/2018
K-Gr 3—A bright and stimulating introduction to the mechanics and makeup of everyday objects and phenomena. The most successful spreads describe objects or processes that are very basic or commonly encountered, such as how shadows work. Without needing a lot of text about the rotation of the earth and the angle of insolation, Fisher's diagrams allow very young readers to clearly see the way the rays of the sun go over the tops of their heads to impact where their shadows are visible on the ground. Shown from multiple angles, cause and effect relationships are very well defined. More complex objects or processes that may be difficult for early elementary children are described with mixed results. For example, a labeled diagram of a flashlight includes batteries (including the negative and positive ends) and mentions electricity flowing through a metal strip. While kindergartners can grasp that hitting a button makes the flashlight come on and off, understanding even the basics of battery polarity or electromagnetism may be a lot to ask. That said, older elementary and middle school visual learners can benefit from the well-executed diagrams of these processes. Fans of Fisher's previous books will be thrilled to see that, in addition to the diagrams and labeled photographs, she again uses her signature retro toy—and-paper dioramas to great effect. VERDICT An engaging and visually tempting starting point to prepare kids for more in-depth titles like David Macaulay's The Way Things Work Now.—Alyssa Annico, Youngstown State University, OH

School Library Journal

2018-05-23
This guide to objects may leave readers with more questions than answers. A plethora of common objects—most tangible and one intangible—are examined and their creations or uses are explained to readers. In theory, at least. The initial page presents a key to the flow of information in the book: A dashed line means airflow. Or energy flow. Or liquid flow. A solid line denotes the direction an object will move, a pattern of dots shows air pressure, etc. The guide is a child version of IKEA instructions—so visually simple yet so complex! Inside, toy figurines (of both black and white people) occasionally guide the action, while complex text explains the physics or physical properties of the object in question. The backmatter provides additional information, linked via words set in boldface in the main text, but there is no pronunciation guide for reach words ("filament," "opaque," "resistance," etc.). The items described in the book are common but at times seem to be questionable choices: An incandescent light bulb—labeled "Light Bulb"—is shown and described rather than a compact florescent or an LED, and the energy-efficient models are not mentioned. Readers learn that crayons often get their colors from natural materials such as "slate," "iron ore," and the vaguely labeled "minerals" (implying that slate and iron ore are not). Budding scientists are likely to find the book more confusing than illuminating. (Nonfiction. 8-10)

Kirkus Reviews