Tag Archives: NetGalley

Book Review: ‘Hands-On Science: Geology’ By Lola M. Schaefer, Illus. By Druscilla Santiago

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One question that teachers and mentors have to face on a routine basis is — how to talk to children. The question is asked in a general sense — spanning across diverse fields, like talking to them about social and behavioral issues, storytelling, science, and education in general. Communication with children is a problem because the usual prevailing methods either treat them as stupid or use a language which is far advanced for their age. If you have ever spent even a couple of minutes with a child of any generation, you must have been astonished at the gross underestimation of their intellect. This is even more pronounced in the current times of large information inflow when children are exposed to and are aware of advances in diverse fields. When I receive books for children for review, this is the aspect that I look for, and sometimes I do get disappointed at the underestimation of children’s understanding of scientific concepts and their curiosity. There are some very good writers, some of who are also good artists. Even if they are not, this task can he delegated to professional artists. So there should not be any problem with presentation of content — in design or illustration. The only task — the biggest taste — is an accurate understanding of the child’s mind, its needs and likes.

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Book Review: ‘Do Other Earths Exist?’ By Jennifer Lombardo

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Astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science are testimony of humankind’s curiosity. A peculiar feature of this curiosity is that it is not satiated by a hypothetical or mythological explanation; on the contrary, any unconvincing explanation only adds fuel to the curiosity. Humankind doesn’t stop at contemplating the various possibilities, but explores and investigates the problem using whatever tools are available at its disposal — theoretical calculations, experimental measurements, or even space missions. Understandably, it doesn’t stop at finding answers to immediate problems, instead every resolved problem pushes the boundary to investigate further, farther, deeper, more. We haven’t yet completely understood the earth, our exploration of the planets is still an ongoing process, and we have already started seeking the boundaries of our solar system, and what lies beyond it.

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Book Review: ‘All About Nothing’ By Elizabeth Rusch, Illus. By Elizabeth Goss

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Once I suggested my friend who was fatigued from office work to take a short break and start again when feeling fresh. She replied that she can’t even think of sitting idle, doing nothing. Nothing — ‘doing nothing’, ‘saying nothing’, ‘thinking nothing’ — is something that scares people off, for some it is something inconceivable. But this nothingness, whether of space or time, is something interesting and opens doors to new and interesting experiences and insights.

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Book Review: ‘Penny, The Engineering Tail Of The Fourth Little Pig’ By Kimberly Derting And Shelli R. Johannes, Illus. By Hannah Marks

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Today I will share with you the summary and my views on the book Penny, The Engineering Tail Of The Fourth Little Pig by Kimberly Derting and Shelli R. Johannes, and illustrated by Hannah Marks, which is the third and final book from Capstone Editions that I have recently received for review. While going through these books, I spent some time scrolling through Twitter timeline of Capstone Editions, and came to know the wide spectrum of popular science books published by them. It is indeed a commendable job and worth appreciating. The future of society lies in the hands of future generation, and how the future generation would look like is decided by the type of investment we make in them. Considering the change in brain activity with age, it is important to ‘catch them young’, inculcating habits from an early age. Science is not just about learning facts and understanding the world around us; instead, it teaches us to go beyond superficial appearances, dig below the surface, and examine everything logically and rationally. It is these concerns that make the contribution of Capstone Editions and similar publishers all the more praiseworthy.

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Book Review: ‘Think Like An Artist Don’t Act Like One’ By Koos De Wilt

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I am not sure whether I understood the the book Think Like An Artist Don’t Act Like One by Koos De Wilt correctly. The title seems to suggest aspiring artists not to consider their art merely as a set of skills or their profession, instead to inculcate an artistic mindset and lifestyle so that everything one does has an aesthetic or an artistic element in it. I was sure that this is what the book is about and that it would be full of motivating, inspiring and stimulating passages that would keep the creative fire aflame within me. This is important because in arts, like in any creative pursuit including science, it is very common to succumb to monotony and lose interest or initial vigour. Thus, any words of encouragement and inspiration are always helpful. I wonder how far would creative people go when left only to their own inner fire, without any encouragement from outside.

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Book Review: ‘Moving To Mars’ By Stef Wade, Illus. By Erin Taylor

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In this post, I would share my opinion about the second out of the three books meant for children that I have received for review. The book is titled Moving To Mars, written by Stef Wade and illustrated by Erin Taylor. The title is self-explanatory to a certain extent. This book is meant for children and is part picture book and part story book. Here space science or rather space exploration is presented as a potpourri of art, science, and humour. I haven’t yet come across any other book of this nature and never thought that science in general and space science in particular could be presented in such a charming manner. This book is unique on all accounts.

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Book Review: ‘All The Colors Of Life’ By Lisa Aisato

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In my early youth, I loved strolling on my terrace looking at stars, enjoying cool breeze and letting my mind wander off in random thoughts. This favourite pastime got interrupted when I entered PhD. But I remember that day when, without any thought or intention, I climbed up the stairs to the hostel terrace and spent not just couple of minutes, instead around 2 – 3 hours. However, this time they were not random thoughts, instead I was looking at my life lived till that day. It had been a long journey and hopefully I still had a long way to go. To my own surprise, I had a strong memory and recollected quite well all the major and minor incidents of my life. It was a refreshing experience as it put my whole life into proper perspective showing the journey of life as a single showreel.

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Book Review: ‘How Science Saved The Eiffel Tower’ By Emma Bland Smith, Illus. By Lia Visirin

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In the last few posts, I had posted reviews of books which I had read for pleasure. Now I am back at my desk reviewing books in my specialisation — science and art. I start with the first out of the three books directed at young audience which I have received for review. All three books have the potential to enchant the young mind with their amalgamation of science and art, both in highest degree. I would give the details of the other two books in later posts, and restrict myself here only on the synopsis and criticism of the book How Science Saved The Eiffel Tower by Emma Bland Smith and illustrated by Lia Visirin.

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Book Review: ‘Invitation to Draw’ By Jean Van’t Hul

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In my conversations with parents concerned about their children’s future, I always advise them to make their children invest in arts and books. Here I use art in the broadest possible sense, which includes fine arts as well as performing arts. If you indeed love your children, you must think of their future, and provide them with something which would support them whole life. 

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Book Review: ‘Every Day Is Earth Day’ By Harriet Dyer

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I frequently receive books on climate change for review. Each one of them presents the subject from a different perspective and addresses different aspects of the problem. After reading my reviews, most of the time my readers put this question to me — “What are we supposed to do?”, and ask me reference of any book which might be able to answer this question. They want to contribute in the fight against climate change but they do not have any idea how to go ahead with it. The book Every Day is Earth Day: Simple Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint by Harriet Dyer answers precisely this question. The most noteworthy feature of this book is that it does not deviate a bit from its focus and successfully delivers what it promises. It is a hand-manual for citizens to help them reduce their carbon footprint by making few changes in their lifestyle. The book is loaded with data and facts, excellent graphics, and sound suggestions and advice. There are no typographical errors. The book has been compiled very nicely and you will sense the commitment to the cause on part of the writer and publisher. As such, I do not have any criticism or negative feedback for this book; so I will give you a brief summary of the book.  

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