Reviews
There are lots of engaging resources available for teaching science to young kids, but one of the best is strangely little known: a terrific and highly entertaining series of science-themed graphic novels from Capstone Press, featuring a super scientist by the name of Max Axiom. Max Axiom, the story goes, was hiking one day when he was struck by megacharged lightning. The accident gave him the ability to shrink to the size of the atom, while his magic lab coat enables him to travel through space and time. These super powers mean that when he is, for instance, investigating viruses, he can stand on a human knee and watch as a scrape becomes infected. He can travel down inside a plant to show the role of chloroplasts in photosynthesis. Each book in the series features an adventure focused on one science theme, such as Cell Life, Chemical Reactions, or Electricity. Information is presented clearly and engagingly, and each book also features a glossary, suggestions for further reading, and pre-screened internet links. There are more than 15 books in the series altogether. Unfortunately, the Brooklyn Public Library and New York Public Library each only carry one of these well-designed books, but you can purchase four for the price of three on Amazon. http://www.examiner.com/homeschooling-in-new-york/max-axiom-graphic-novels-make-learning-science-fun, I'm in love - or, better yet, my son is in love! We've had the opportunity to review graphic science books on all sorts of topics that are fun and easy to read. Comic book style science sounds really fluffy doesn't it? Believe it or not, the Max Axiom series is full of "real" science that goes deep enough to be appropriate for any upper elementary/early middle school child. My son is a less-than-zealous textbook reader. (Picture eyes glazing over and giant yawns.) After reading - or being read to - from a textbook, he recalls very little of the information. Over the years, I've turned science into hands-on unit studies and supplemented with lots of library books, which has worked quite well. During one of these unit study times, I came across Max Axiom and wanted to know more. I found that Capstone Press offers many, many Max Axiom books, and boy were my son and I excited! Twenty-four books total cover the areas of biology/botany, chemistry, physical and earth science. In each book, Max Axiom (a scientist with super powers), goes on an adventure to learn all about the topic at hand. He can shrink to the size of bacteria and whiz through the human body, or go back in time to learn more about a famous scientist of the past. All of this in a 32 page comic book! (When I say comic book, don't think of flimsy pages, these are "real" books.) http://thecurriculumchoice.com/2011/07/max-axiom-graphic-science-books/, Super Scientist "Global Warming is a serious issue, but we can find solutions for our environmental problems." Reassuring words from Max Axiom. Of course, Max Axiom is no ordinary scientist. In this graphic novel for children, the Super Scientist comes to tell the world about the threat of global warming. His impressive powers include super intelligence, the ability to shrink to the size of an atom, x-ray vision sunglasses and a time- and space- travel lab coat. I was impressed by the excellent visual representation of science, with colourful and clear depictions of the greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide, climate change and green technologies. Cynthia Martin, an ex-Marvel comic book artist, slickly illustrates this graphic novel, with clean lines and a sense of movement. The implications of climate change were discussed in detail, with both the global effects on weather and ecosystems, and the personal implications for health. The dialogue was clear and appropriate for a young age group, though teenagers might find it a touch too didactical at times. My only qualm; from an adult's perspective, I found the dialogue dry and humourless. That is, until discovering the highly amusing pronunciation section at the back of the book. Those reading the book aloud to children can enliven their delivery with American pronunciations of "glacier (GLAY-shur)". Presented simply, and with clarity, it makes an excellent introduction to the topic of climate change. It's part of a series of childrens educational books; other titles cover a spectrum of science topics, from magnetism to adaptation. These books are a great way of engaging children in science issues., Scientists around the world are becoming more and more concerned about global warming. Understand Global Warming with Max Axiom, Super Scientist from the series "Graphic Science" is written in a comic book format explaining the dangers of global warming to not only people, but animals and plants around the world. Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere. The use of fossil fuels, the clearing of the rain forests in South America by use of fire, and the loss of many forests in North America due to human use have all contributed to the warming of our planet. This book, because of its unusual format, is easily understood by all children, even those that need it read to them. The colorful illustrations are very informative and enhance what the text is explaining. This book would make a good read aloud to introduce a global warming science unit at the upper elementary or middle school level.
