From the Ocean to Mars and Everywhere In Between
December 1, 2024
An airy disquisition on bubbles of all descriptions--including even the metaphorical sort. Addressing readers who are "bubbling over with curiosity," Nickum tallies substances that make bubbles, from chewing gum, whipping cream, and bubble roll plastic to lava covering a gassy volcanic eruption. The author then explains how bubbles are used to keep surfers warm and overheated echidnas cool, put out fires, help humpback whales trap prey, and (when embedded in ice and rock) explore the past of this planet and others. Countering any thoughts that the topic is as ephemeral as a soap bubble, Nickum also explains how tiny bubbles can have outsize effects on the weather and even the entire planet's climate, thanks to their ability to trap huge quantities of atmospheric carbon dioxide in our oceans. She invites readers to join the racially diverse cast of Meganck's cartoon illustrations in blowing, stirring, poking, squeezing, eating, or just observing the ubiquitous phenomena--and to reflect on how bubbles play a figurative role in our language through expressions like "living in a bubble" or having a "bubbly personality." She moves on to quick discourses on surface tension and other "bubble science," and in a frothy closing note retraces her research in order to provide anyone eager to know more with leads to her sources. Pop science at its most effervescent.(Informational picture book. 5-7)
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February 1, 2025
Grades K-2 Bubbles may seem flimsy, transparent, and fleeting, but they actually serve many purposes and can tell us all kinds of things about scientific processes. This appealing picture book offers parallel narratives, one featuring simple sentences of straightforward comparisons (""A bubble can be solitary . . . or one of many""), the other using brief paragraphs of additional information (chemical reactions, technical applications). Examples range from everyday soap bubbles to the snot bubbles the Australian echidna blows through its nose to regulate body heat. Bubbles erupt from boiling liquids, whether a pot of pasta or a volcano; offer substantial protection, whether cushioning fragile objects in bubble wrap or being used as flame retardant; and help scientists, whether smothering noise from underwater drilling or determining the geologic history of planets. Cheerful full-page illustrations align with the text and help convey concepts. There are examples of the concept of bubbles used in everyday language (think ""bubbly personality"") and a glossary presented in paragraph form. Despite its subject's delicate nature, this niche offering makes a solid addition for STEM collections.
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January 31, 2025
K-Gr 4-Bubble gum, whipped cream, bubble wrap, and soap bubbles are just the introduction to bigger ideas about bubbles as they show up in volcanoes, star-nosed moles, cooking spaghetti, baking bread, neoprene wetsuits, and many other spots. This book truly bubbles over with words, ideas, concepts, and information. Nickum's text functions on two different visual levels. The top of each page features a few words in larger font that introduce a thing bubbles can do, e.g., "bubbles can be useful/ or a way to play." Meganck's digital illustrations, created with the appearance of pencil and pastel, are designed to appeal to younger readers who might otherwise struggle to comprehend or sit through the reading of the dense paragraphs of tiny font at the bottom of each page. A bit of a mismatch occurs where the text describes the how-to and sometimes more scientific understanding of what bubbles are doing in any given scenario, while the accompanying illustration leaves those details to the imagination and creates a character-based scene. Older readers may be put off by the somewhat childish aesthetic, and many younger readers may be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of text. VERDICT Put this one in the hands of information hounds and science-report writers, along with report-assigning teachers.-Jessica Fenster-Sparber
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