Jacob BerkowitzReseñas

This caught my eyes because I found that children have a odd fetish with the words fart and poop so I know a book about dinosaur poop would be right up there alley. Gross! Still it's educational as it talks facts about dinosaurs and what they left behind for us to discover. Has real illustrations as well as drawn ones meant to be quirky for kids.

Astrophysics is normally what people think of when they think of space science, but there is also astrochemistry, astrogeology and even astrobiology. This book highlights discoveries in these subjects and how they provide greater insight about how we and everything else owe our existence to stardust. It's a fascinating read. I recommend it.

This book was one of the funniest that I read. While it was hilarious it was also very interesting. What child would pass up a book about poop? It uses illustrations and actual photos to show fossils and how animal poop becomes fossils which can give us plenty of information about the past. Paired with the illustrations and photos are many pages of easy to read informational text that children will enjoy and learn from.

Excellent and thought-provoking read about the origins of all things--living and non-living. I had never thought about myself, or humankind in general, as being so connected to the entire cosmos, though I long ago understood that all the elements came from the stars, and therefore so do we, I never truly thought about the implications behind the fact.

This book was wonderfully readable (ie. not too technical), while still being incredibly informative about the scientific discoveries and history involved. Highly recommended!½

_The Stardust Revolution: The New Story of Our Origin in the Stars_, by Jacob Berkowitz, Prometheus Books, 2012. First, the history of how it came to be known, many decades ago, that all the non-hydrogen atoms in living things were originally formed by stellar fusion processes. Second, interstellar dust, astrochemistry, and stardust geology as a bridging subject. Third, the point of view that any lifeforms inferred to exist on exoplanets will have to be regarded as the cosmically evolutionary cousins of those existing on Earth. All rather elaborately laid out in science-journalism style. (Linguistic nit-pickings: bad use of "protean"; bad spelling of "phosphorus".)

Now, a couple of quick nonfiction reviews. First, we have a book on the exploration of outer space -and beyond. Out of This World: The amazing search for an alien earth focuses mainly an astrobiologist and astrophysicists' searches for a planet that can sustain life. It's full of interesting facts and explanations of how scientists explore the farthest edges of the universe. A glossary and index is included, but no bibliography or further resources. I was disappointed that the book didn't explain until near the end that most of the pictures are artist's representations and I didn't think they made it clear which were "real". I found the layout and design very dated, from the font of the headings to the dopey little cartoon character zooming around the pages. To me, that screams "I was written in the 80s!" Of course, the fact that I weeded masses of 70s and 80s nonfiction last summer means I'm a bit prejudiced...

Out of this world: The amazing search for an Alien Earth by Jacob Berkowitz
ISBN: 978-1554531974; Published September 2009 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates

Our second book is an easy reader biography of Harry Houdini. It's labeled as "level 3 read alone" easy reader, and the vocabulary and content is suitable for the reading level. It contains many interesting facts about Houdini's life and focuses on his amazing escapes. However, I found the illustrations very blah and without character. In my library, most of the kids looking for biographies need something at least 100 pages long. However, if you have younger kids interested in Harry Houdini, this is a good starter biography.

Harry Houdini by Elizabeth MacLeod, illustrated by John Mantha
ISBN: 978-1554532995; Published August 2009 by Kids Can Press; Review copy provided by the publisher through Raab Associates

Verdict: These books are fine if you have a need for more information in these areas, but I'd recommend getting Sid Fleischman's Escape and Ellen Jackson's Looking for Life in the Universe, first.

Kirkus Reviews
Preserved excrement, whether dried, frozen or turned to rock, can provide all kinds of information to scientists. The "e-e-eew factor" is only part of the appeal of this lively introduction to coprolites-fossil feces. Photographs and cartoon illustrations accompany a breezy but fact-filled text explaining coprolite formation and identification, introducing some researchers and giving examples of their findings. From the dinosaur teaser in the title, cover illustration and opening chapter, the author goes on to include examples of all kinds of feces, from insects and fish to human. Readers are directly addressed and occasionally given a chance to try out their learning in quick quizzes. While the prose makes heavy use of puns ("Solve the Case of Who Dung It!"), the broad humor is appropriate to the subject and for the middle-grade reader. The acknowledgements in the introduction make clear the scientific basis for the information, and the book concludes with a glossary, quiz answers and an index. Compare with the more traditional approach of Dino Dung (2005), from the Step Into Reading series. (Nonfiction. 8-12)