Really Weird Science!

 

How Weird Is It?

A Freaky Book All About Strangeness

Ben Hillman

Scholastic, 2009

ISBN# 0-439-91868-5

Nonfiction

 

 

 

 

You think some of your relatives are weird? You have no idea.

Well, for a start, let’s talk about your Cousin Toadstool and Aunt Puffball. Yes, you are related to the whole Fungus Family!

Huge, bizarre photographs illustrating the unusual or odd facts of various scientific principles dominate each spread in this book. The doctored photos vividly and literally present the idea behind the well-explained information on the narrow column of text along the right side of the spread. Ranging from mummy kitties to superposition to our relationship to fungus, this book covers a wide-ranging set of oddities in science.

Difficult concepts such as dark energy or neutrinos are explained in lay terms and the text provides fascinating reading about each subject. The book will appeal to budding scientists or those in search of a wow factor. The layout, with its informative text and large pictures, should attract even reluctant readers. The electric green family on the cover, including the pug, positioned against the orange Martian landscape will make any kid pick this one up for a look.

Activity 1

Use a topic from the book to look up additional information about that subject.

Suggested topics: See details about the plague of locusts that even Laura Ingalls Wilder described in her book, On the Banks of Plum Creek. 

Maybe you’d like to try scorpions or other tasty morsels in China.

Get the idea? Keep looking!

Other books about weird science:

Weird Science: 40 Strange-Acting, Bizarre-Looking, and Barely Believable Activities for Kids by Jim Wiese and Ed Shems

Weird Science (Ripley’s Believe It or Not!) by Mary Packard and Leanne Franson

National Science Standards: Each section relates to a different standard, but there are many physical science standards covered in the book.