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

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

Valorie Fisher. Orchard, $17.99 (40p) ISBN 978-1-338-21545-8

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. [em](Sept.) [/em]