cover image Professor Astro Cat’s Atomic Adventure: A Journey Through Physics

Professor Astro Cat’s Atomic Adventure: A Journey Through Physics

Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman, illus. by Ben Newman. Nobrow/Flying Eye (Consortium, dist.), $24 (56p) ISBN 978-1-909263-60-4

In this follow-up to 2013’s Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space, Walliman and Newman’s blue feline—one part astronaut, one part scientist—guides readers through the fundamentals of physics, addressing topics that include the scientific method, motion, force, energy, and electricity. “Our moon is always trying to fly away,” Astro Cat explains in an early spread, “but the gravity of our Earth keeps it flying around us.” Newman’s posterlike illustrations, evocative of 1960s space age artwork, put a hip, retro spin on a variety of scientific concepts. A glossary and closing spread of “factoroids” discussing neutrinos, nuclear fusion, and the Earth’s magnetic poles sneak additional information into this appealing blend of science, history, and math. Ages 7–11. [em](May) [/em]