The Everyday Workings of Machines: How machines work, from toasters and trains to hovercrafts and robots - Includes close-ups, cutaways, and cross sections!

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About The Everyday Workings Of Machines: How Machines

Product Description How does a train stay on the tracks? What’s going on inside a pogo stick? How do cranes work? And what happens when you flush a toilet?   These and many more important questions are answered in this fascinating book. From toasters and telephones to hovercrafts and robots – the inner workings of machines big and small are brought to light using a stunning mix of cross-sections, close-ups and cutaways.  From School Library Journal Gr 3-6-Readers who like visual graphics will appreciate the colorful diagrams, cross-sections, and cutaways of the machines depicted in this book. These range from simple and commonplace machines (stapler, scissors, toaster, toilet, bicycle, and the balance scale) to more complex and less-familiar machines (the wind turbine, the Large Hadron Collider, the Mars Rover robots, the smoke alarm, and the electric train). Most illustrations have numbered sequential steps showing how the machine works, accompanied by brief explanatory text. This format works best with the simple machines because they require less explanation. However, with the more complex machines, the format hinders well-rounded explanations, so the information raises more questions than answers. For example, step three on the wind turbine states: "The gearbox changes the slow motion of the low-speed shaft into a faster movement that drives another shaft." How exactly is this done? What's a gearbox? What's a shaft? A conclusion tying together several ideas would also make the text feel complete and boost readers' comprehension. VERDICT The mechanically inclined and those interested in how machines work will enjoy the many colorful graphics, but the text would most likely require supplementary information.-Myra Zarnowski, City Univ. of New Yorkα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Review "Those interested in how machines work will enjoy the many colorful graphics."― Myra Zarnowski, School Library Journal About the Author Steve Martin is a writer, former English teacher, and author of numerous children’s books on a wide range of subjects, including The Boys’ Book of Adventure, Numberland, and Ivy Kids’ Academy series. Valpuri Kerttula is a graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art. She currently lives in Finland and creates artwork for children’s books, school textbooks, and editorial commissions. Her style is bright, playful and colourful. She loves developing curious characters from her imagination.