Prolific and popular author Janice VanCleave's hands-on, highly informative books make learning about science fun any time of the year. In Science Around the Year, readers select a season to study, or just browse through the 52 chapters (one for each week of the year). Each of the four seasons has 13 chapters dealing with biology, chemistry, astronomy, physics, or earth science. The clear, logical format starts with "Did You Know?", a fun fact that identifies the focus of the chapter, with an explanation of the science behind the fact. "Fun Time!" is a discovery experiment related to the fun fact. "More Fun with...!" is an additional activity relating to the topic, and every chapter also has a book list for supplemental fiction and nonfiction reading.
Readers will be intrigued by such amazing facts as these: Frogs have teeth. An eight-inch snowflake once fell in Siberia. Fish have rained from the sky. But this is no collection of obscure, wacky facts. Based on solid science, VanCleave's book gracefully walks the fine line between serious scientific education and truly entertaining activities. Be sure to check out VanCleave's many other lively science books, including Janice VanCleave's 203 Icy, Freezing, Frosty, Cool & Wild Experiments and Janice VanCleave's Play and Find Out about Science. (Ages 5 to 9) --Emilie Coulter