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Physics: Why Matter Matters! Paperback – Illustrated, April 29, 2008

by Dan Green (Author), Simon Basher (Author, Illustrator)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 356 ratings
See all formats and editions
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Basher Science: Physics, Why Matter Matters! created and illustrated by Simon Basher, Written by Dan Green:

Imagine physics as a community full of wacky characters--the building blocks of the universe each with a unique personality. This book throws open the doors and welcomes you into their amazing world. From gravity to the theory of relativity, this unique book provides visual interpretations of complex concepts, designed to make learning physics easier and a whole lot more fun!

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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    6 - 10 years, from customers
  2. Part of series
    Basher Science
  3. Print length
    128 pages
  4. Language
    English
  5. Grade level
    5 - Kindergarten
  6. Lexile measure
    1040L
  7. Dimensions
    7.05 x 0.4 x 7 inches
  8. Publisher
    Kingfisher
  9. Publication date
    April 29, 2008
  10. ISBN-10
    0753462141
  11. ISBN-13
    978-0753462140
  12. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–8—This follow-up to Adrian Dingle's The Periodic Table (Kingfisher, 2007) introduces the elements of physics as anthropomorphic, cartoon-style characters. "You could say that these forceful fellows are the ones that really matter." They are grouped by associations: "Old School" (mass, weight, density, etc.), "Hot Stuff" (energy, entropy, etc.), "Wave Gang" (sound, frequency, etc.), "Light Crew" (radio wave, microwave, etc.), "Atom Family" (proton, electron, etc.), "Nuclear Heavies" (radioactivity, alpha particle, etc.), and "Electric Cuties" (static electricity, electric current, etc.). Each of the groupings begins with an introduction and each concept is given its own spread that shows the cartoon figure and describes its "personality." The information is presented in a chatty and conversational tone. For example, Blackbody Radiation is described as "a ninjalike shadow who swallows and slays the Light Crew." Along with the narrative, which is written in the first person from the concept's point of view, other key facts are presented. This book would be handy as a supplement to a physics curriculum.—Maren Ostergard, King County Library System, Issaquah, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Dan Green is a freelance science writer and editor who consulted on Basher's previous book for Kingfisher, The Periodic Table.

Artist and designer Simon Basher has fun playing in the world of contemporary character design. Inspired by a love of simple line work and a rich color palette, his characters fill the gap between edgy manga and the cuteness of Hello Kitty. He lives in England.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Kingfisher; First Edition (April 29, 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 128 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0753462141
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0753462140
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 6 - 10 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1040L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - Kindergarten
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.05 x 0.4 x 7 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 356 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Simon Basher

    Simon Basher

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    For a FREE Basher Science Periodic Table wall poster please email your POSTAL address to simon@simonbasher.com (U.S only offer)

    Simon Basher is a British illustrator and designer.

    He is best known for creating and illustrating a series of books that make science and other topics accessible. The Basher Science series has sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

    His book catalog includes The Periodic Table, Physics, Biology, Rocks and Minerals, Planet Earth, Chemistry, Physics, Math, Punctuation, and Astronomy.

    Simon Basher lives and works in Brighton, U.K

    New Basher books for 2020/21

    STEM Science

    STEM Technology

    STEM Engineering

    STEM Math

    Basher Civics

    Basher Pandemic

    Basher Money

    Basher Legendary Creatures

    www.basherscience.com

    FOLLOW SIMON BASHER:

    facebook.com/SimonBasherBooks

    Instagram: SimonBasherBooks

    www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Basher

    See more on the author's page
  2. Dan Green

    Dan Green

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Dan Green is a London-based writer and editor with an amazing ability for science communication. He is the Editor of The Week Junior's brand new Science+Nature magazine. His award-winning books include Rebel Science and Basher Science, and have sold over 3 million copies worldwide.

    sciencenature.theweekjunior.co.uk

    www.dangreenbooks.com

    Facebook: www.facebook.com/dangreenauthor

    Twitter: @diggedydan

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
356 global ratings
Amazing Science Book!
5 Stars
Amazing Science Book!
I am making it my personal mission to collect all of the Basher Science books. They are absolutely wonderful; I’ve never seen books like them before. If you have a child in your life that is keen on science (or one that isn’t!), these are amazing books to spark their curiosity.Part graphic novel, the books have cute little illustrated characters to make big, complicated, even intimidating concepts kid-friendly. Each concept is written in first person, making it relatable. The side is color-coded, so you can easily flip to the chapter on the Wave Gang or Electric Cuties.I cannot say enough about these books. To think that my 6 year old is reading about physics and LOVING it is extraordinary.
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Top reviews from the United States

Jersy.romantasy.moms
5.0 out of 5 stars 9 year old son loves it
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2024
Verified Purchase
My son asked for this book for his birthday and absolutely loves high level learning that is broken down into easier to learn terms.
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ReviewToaKill
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Science Book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2019
Verified Purchase
I am making it my personal mission to collect all of the Basher Science books. They are absolutely wonderful; I’ve never seen books like them before. If you have a child in your life that is keen on science (or one that isn’t!), these are amazing books to spark their curiosity.
Part graphic novel, the books have cute little illustrated characters to make big, complicated, even intimidating concepts kid-friendly. Each concept is written in first person, making it relatable. The side is color-coded, so you can easily flip to the chapter on the Wave Gang or Electric Cuties.
I cannot say enough about these books. To think that my 6 year old is reading about physics and LOVING it is extraordinary.
Customer image
ReviewToaKill
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Science Book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2019
I am making it my personal mission to collect all of the Basher Science books. They are absolutely wonderful; I’ve never seen books like them before. If you have a child in your life that is keen on science (or one that isn’t!), these are amazing books to spark their curiosity.
Part graphic novel, the books have cute little illustrated characters to make big, complicated, even intimidating concepts kid-friendly. Each concept is written in first person, making it relatable. The side is color-coded, so you can easily flip to the chapter on the Wave Gang or Electric Cuties.
I cannot say enough about these books. To think that my 6 year old is reading about physics and LOVING it is extraordinary.
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10 people found this helpful
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Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars My son loved it
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2023
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It makes physics fun
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Jonathan Russo
5.0 out of 5 stars Bedtime story book
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2023
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This is the book my 7 and 5 year old boys are making me read as their bedtime story book.
One person found this helpful
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Mother and reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Another Science Hit!
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2008
Verified Purchase
The only drawback to this book is the fact that now my 6 year old knows what alpha particles are and I have no idea. This is another outstanding science book for children that not only teaches but excites them about the subject matter as well. The book arrived in the mail last week and on the first day my son read the entire book. Never fear however the subject matter is introduced well enough to entertain and inform in that first reading, however it is physics. He has and will I am sure continue reading, understanding a little more each time. He was disappointed that Physics did not come with a poster like The Periodic Table: Elements with Style. I do recommend reading the book thoroughly, if like me you are not into physics, before your child does. The conversations go better when you don't have to look everything up.
6 people found this helpful
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Melissa T.
4.0 out of 5 stars Cute but confusing
Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2012
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book for a nine-year-old girl who is very interested in science and math. I'm a friend of her parents and love to help promote her interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) fields.

She loves the book; unfortunately I haven't been around to see what kinds of questions she has about it. I read it myself before giving it to her just to see what it was like.

The illustrations are really cute and well-done. Some of them have some subtle humor. Each page spread is about a different topic; there is an illustration on the right-hand page and a short summary on the left-hand side, plus some bullet-point facts. I liked the variety of topics included, from the basics (atoms, waves, mass, energy, protons, etc.) to some more obscure topics (as far as kids are concerned): dark matter, the higgs-boson, blackbody radiation, Schrodinger's cat, and so on. However, I am not sure if there is any meaningful way to explain the more advanced topics (like the higgs-boson) to kids who are just learning about matter, energy, and atoms. I found the explanations of the advanced topics to be more confusing than helpful, but maybe they will spark kids' interest in further study. Similarly, I don't see the point of the book's use of scientific notation to describe the sizes of things, since the numbers used are pretty darn hard to comprehend and there was no primer on scientific notation included.

Another quibble is that sometimes the book uses nomenclature that isn't explained until further along in the book or in the glossary at the end. Something like "check out page 34" or whatever would have been helpful in these situations, as not every entry is listed in the table of contents.

One reviewer noted that there is too much slang. I wouldn't call it slang so much as excessive use of colloquialisms and idioms. I definitely would not recommend the book for non-native speakers of english.

Overall, I found this to be a fun book that will spark kids' interest on a lot of topics related to physics and be a starting-point for learning about the topic. It would be a good reference for a kid to have around.
7 people found this helpful
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Laura Frederick
5.0 out of 5 stars My Kids Say "Mom, can you read the physics book to us tonight?"
Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2009
Verified Purchase
Amazing. Fantastic. My 6 and 8 year old love this book. I bought it because my sister (their aunt) has a Ph.D in physics and I wanted a kids book that explained some of the concept of what she does. What surprised me is the elegance and creativity of the illustrations and the writing. It is not something you see often in kids books. I found the words stayed with me and the kids. The kids would refer to the "friends" and could tell me about the different concepts days later. Definitely get it if you have kids curious about the world and you want to give them broad awareness of how the universe works.
3 people found this helpful
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Roswell Ginny
5.0 out of 5 stars perfect silliness level to keep him engaged
Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
My son is a voracious reader. We got him 7 of the Basher Science books for his 8th birthday in late March. He had finished them all by the end of April and has picked them back up again to reread. (2nd grade, reading at a U-level) He won't touch a fiction book unless forced, but if it is about science or technology he can't put it down. Just enough pictures to keep him from feeling intimidated by the text, perfect silliness level to keep him engaged, and more real science facts than he could absorb the first time through.
7 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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J. Jonasson
5.0 out of 5 stars My daughter absolutely loved it!
Reviewed in Canada on November 18, 2018
Verified Purchase
I ordered this book for my daughter and she absolutely loved it! The book describes physics in a way that's understandable to kids but not insulting to their intelligence. I believe my daughter's interest in physics was peaked by this book and I highly recommend this book!
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Sripriya
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in India on February 17, 2016
Verified Purchase
Really Worth buying!!!
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Cadance
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellente introduction à la science
Reviewed in France on October 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
Mon fils de 7 ans est incroyablement curieux de connaître les lois de la nature et où des choses comme l'électricité, le vent, les tremblements de terre et le magnétisme viennent. Ce petit livre apporte des réponses très simples avec des illustrations drôles et faciles pour mon fils à comprendre. Il aime absolument! La livraison a été très rapide aussi. Merci Amazon.
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RR Waller
5.0 out of 5 stars This makes Physics physical!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2011
Verified Purchase
I bought this as a stocking filler for my grandson (three years old) and to help fill his bookshelves with interesting, enjoyable and educational books which convey information in a simple way. Socrates said education is not about filling a vessel but fanning a flame, and he knew how to inspire the youth. Basher and Green have good ideas too.

This is a simple framework - a small size (half a normal paperback) with a physics concept on one page (simply explained) and a drawing/cartoon on the other helping to explain it.

I bought this and other presents to engender not only a continued interest in books but science and mathematics books. As an Arts graduate who has always had an interest in books, arts, science and the rest, I know how important it is to fan the flame early and keep it glowing. Science is a way of thinking, a way of looking at the world and this "fun-sized" book is ideal for beginning the process; small enough to put in a pocket but large enough to fill the mind. This is a great little series I hope my grandson will grow into; it certainly will not be for the want of Socratean fanning.

Recommended
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E. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on July 25, 2017
Verified Purchase
I love all the Basher books. They're just great for right-brained, imaginative/intuitive minds, of any age.
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