Like Hervé Tullet's wildly popular Press Here, the fun, informative, and visually pleasing Hands-On Science series of picture books relies on readers using their imagination to grapple with concepts like geology, matter, and, in this case, motion.
Former classroom teacher Lola M. Schaefer (Lift, Mix, Fling!) is a fan of kids applying their creative faculties to learn about science. In Hands-On Science: Motion, she introduces early physics concepts including force, gravity, and friction through simple experiments. Readers touch illustrations of whipped cream, blow on piles of sand, and tilt the book to make a marble roll down the page. Unlike classic touch-and-feel books like Pat the Bunny, though, the tactile sensations are imagined. ("Sand flew everywhere! What a mess!") Using a mix of playful words ("Bonk!", "Whoosh!") and clear instructions, Schaefer invites readers to interact with the pages. After giving a blob of whipped cream a "poke" and seeing how the force of the finger changes its shape, readers are encouraged to turn the book upside down and shake it: "Uh-oh!... Gravity pulled the cream off the page and onto the floor. Gravity is a force that pulls objects toward Earth."
Hands-On Science series illustrator Druscilla Santiago's uncluttered digital art uses pastel backdrops and plenty of white space to depict items both at rest and interacting with the different forces. Santiago's crisp lines, paired with Schaefer's uncomplicated descriptions, ensure that readers will see how they "create forces every moment of every day." --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor